


Looking To Tomorrow

by Chameleon777



Series: Complicated Yesterdays [4]
Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Third Watch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-13 20:48:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13578663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chameleon777/pseuds/Chameleon777
Summary: I CRAVE reviews!





	1. Insomnia and Mistrust

December 15  
Apartment – New York, New York

The digital clock on the microwave switched to 3:00 as Danielle came out of her and Maurice’s master bedroom in her pajamas and a robe that Maurice had surprised her with shortly after they had got married. She had been sound asleep in bed when she had heard noise that had woken her up. Shortly after the wedding, her father had surprised them with news that a nice apartment in his building was open for rent and that it had three bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms and was reasonably priced.

Deeply grateful to be able to stay close to her father, Danielle had talked it over with Bosco and the kids and they had all moved into the apartment that had been furnished by Sully’s unexpected generosity.

Now, while Maurice was still sound asleep, Danielle found herself in the shared kitchen and living room space and saw that John and David were sitting on the couch in their pajamas and talking softly to one another, “...You don’t have to get up when I do, but at least Mom and Maurice don’t get up and worry,” John said in a quiet voice. “I haven’t been sleeping since that crap Catherine pulled at my school…”

Danielle crossed her arms and gently cleared her throat as she came into the living room, “John Tyrone and David Monte, what are you two doing up at three a.m. when you both have school tomorrow?” she asked in a gentle, but concerned voice. “I understand that the Christmas break is in a couple of weeks…”

“John doesn’t sleep past two,” David commented softly. “He sits in bed or walks around the house.”

John looked horrified, but didn’t say anything, “David, be quiet or else you’re gonna wake Maurice and Ellie up,” he finally said in an anxious voice. “Sleeping from ten until two is good enough for me…”

“No, honey, it’s not,” Danielle replied, cutting him off. “A good night’s sleep helps your blood sugar.”

John scoffed, “I don’t even go to a real school anymore,” he replied in an irritated voice, not caring that he felt like he was going to cry. “I go to the building, but then the teacher sends me to a room and tells me to do my work quietly. It’s been that way since Catherine came to the school with a gun…”  
“Your father and I will take you to school later and talk with your teachers about changing that,” Danielle replied in a reassuring voice. “Since when are you back to calling him Maurice anyway?”

David sighed, “John’s scared of him,” he replied when John didn’t say a word. “Dunno why.”

“Why haven’t you talked about that with the counselor the school assigned you after Catherine almost hurt you?” Danielle asked in a concerned voice as she gave John a mystified look. “It would help you.”

John shrugged, “The school told me yesterday that it would be at least January before they could get me one because of budget crap,” he replied softly. “In January, we gotta go back to Miami for that thing…”

“Speaking of Miami, I was wondering how you’d feel about being able to talk to Emily Wolfe through Skype?” Danielle asked, having got an email the other day from Emily that she was now in a position to formally begin talking to John via Skype if he wanted to talk. “Emily suggested it and it might help you.”  
John nodded and promptly yawned, “We’ll talk about it more later,” Danielle replied firmly. “For now, though, I want you and David to go back to bed and stay there until seven. I’ll see you both later.”

“Okay,” John replied in a sleepy voice as he got up. “Don’t tell Maurice I was up, okay Mom?”

Danielle sighed as David got up off the couch, “You know I’m going to,” she replied softly. “John, don’t before to check your blood sugar before you go back to bed and David, make sure he actually does it.”

As John and David walked back to the bedroom that they shared, Danielle sighed and silently walked over to the large window that was just on the other side of the kitchen table. She had been a light sleeper since John was a baby, but it had only gotten worse since she had been forced to spend quality time with Edward out in the middle of nowhere. Now that she was married to Maurice, it had worsened.

Tears filled Danielle’s eyes as she hugged herself and sighed, “I think that this whole family could use some counseling after all that we’ve been through,” she whispered softly, staring out at the falling snow for only a moment longer before she turned and walked over to the counter where the phone book was.

Letting out a tired sigh, Danielle opened the phone book and flipped through the pages until she found a list of family counseling centers that were in the area. She quickly put a slip of paper in the area and closed the book. She intended to talk to Maurice about the idea once all the kids were at school.  
****  
Coral Gables Medical Centre - Miami, Florida

“Bernie, Ramon told me you were sick,” Edward said in an anxious voice as he came into the fancy hospital room and saw Bernard laying in a hospital bed in a gown with electrodes on his chest that were sending information to a machine next to the bed. “I never knew you had a bad heart. Should I…?”

Bernard sighed and fiddled with the tube in his nose briefly before glaring at Edward, “You’re supposed to be meeting with Clavo and Ramon about trying to get Emily in here to see me,” he snapped in an aggravated voice. “Since you now know that my heart is bad, I now want you to work for them.”  
“I hate working with Clavo and Ramon,” Edward whined. “They always threaten to take away the diplomatic immunity their daddy gave to me and Ricky. Although, Ricky turned on them…”

Bernard scoffed, “Save the drama, Eddie,” he replied in a gruff voice. “I’ve been keeping up with the news since I’ve been here and I did not order Catherine to shoot Ricky like that; she has gone insane.”

“Over her missing kid?” Edward asked in a mystified voice. “Emily lost a kid and she didn’t go nuts.”

Bernard sighed as he struggled to stay awake, “I ordered Ramon to give James back to Emily, so she now owes me a favor,” he explained in a tired voice. 

“You can use my laptop to send her an email to arrange a place to meet if you wish. I doubt you could go into the police department without getting arrested.”

“Thanks,” Edward replied as he walked over to the portable table where Bernard’s laptop was plugged in to the wall and open, ready to use. “Do you want me to tell her you’re sick in the hospital?”

Bernard sighed, “No, the letter I sent her already says that,” he replied roughly. “She must be developing a tough skin since she hasn’t attempted to contact me for the longest time.”

Edward didn’t reply; he was busy trying to make out an email that sounded threatening, “Should I send Rick another message?” he asked absentmindedly. “I sent him to New York back in November and…”

“Wait, you’re the one who told Rick to go to New York?” Bernard asked in an aggravated voice.

Edward nodded, his eyes still on the screen, “I told Rick to go talk to Catherine, but I had no idea that she was going to shoot him and then try to actually go after John,” he replied worriedly. “I told Rick where John went to school, but I didn’t think that anything would come of it. I just wanted to help…”  
“You were careless,” Bernard said in a sharp voice. “Forget the email; I can’t trust you with that.”

Edward froze and looked at Bernard, “Word on the street is that Raymond Caine is running amok trying to find people who will actually give him money to feed his habit,” Bernard said in a tired voice. “I want you see if you can find Ray. Offer him money if he’ll give you access to the list of Assistance clients; he’s one of the founders of that stupid Victims Assistance organization that Emily ran to help for…”

“You want me to go into the underworld of Miami?” Edward whined. “I’ll end up killed down there!”

Bernard scoffed and pointed to the door, “You’ll die quicker if you don’t go,” he snapped. “Get going.”

Swallowing hard, Edward straightened up and left the room, leaving Bernard alone to rest quietly.  
***  
Coconut Grove - Miami, Florida 

Shivering anxiously, Bobby stepped out the back door of the modest-sized house that he had bought with the money from the sale of his house in New York. A MDPD t-shirt, sweats, and crocs didn’t offer much warmth, but the thoughts and memories of his old life were too much to let him get a good sleep.

The yard was large, but it had a swing set, a jungle gym made out of tires, and a small sandbox that was filled with toys and sand. A ping went through Bobby’s heart as he realized that he still had to go through Maggie’s and Amanda’s things and decide what to give to friends or away to local charities.

Adam and BJ were sound asleep in the medium-sized bedroom that was on the second floor of the house along with his master bedroom, a bathroom, and an office while the kitchen, living room, and den were downstairs. He didn’t have to work that day, so it was an ideal time to have a sleepless night.  
His uncle lived only a few blocks away, Bobby reasoned as he lay down on the small, padded lawn chair that was just outside the back door, but he was probably asleep and wouldn’t want to be woken up.

Tears came to Bobby’s eyes as he looked around at the yard that was fenced in by a steel gate that led out to the empty driveway. He hadn’t expected to come home to Miami without a wife or a daughter; he had always intended on all of them coming to Miami to live together as a family someday.  
Suddenly, the phone inside started to ring and Bobby quickly got up and hurried inside before the phone woke BJ and Adam up, “Hello?” he asked as he walked back outside with the phone. “Uncle Horatio?”

As Bobby talked on the phone, he didn’t notice that a back door had opened in the yard next door and that Natalia had come out in pajamas that were covered by a housecoat and slippers with a watering can in one hand. She moved over to the fence and began to water the flowers in the small boxes.  
“Are you at the front door, Uncle Horatio?” Bobby asked, not noticing that Natalia had stopped watering the plants and was looking at him with a mystified expression on her face. “Just come to the back gate.”

There was a click and Bobby sighed as he sat back down on the lawn chair. Not wanting to throw up all over the deck, he lay back and swallowed hard as he stared up at the sky, sniffling softly as he did.

Warm tears ran freely from his tired eyes and Bobby nearly threw up out of fright when the gate creaked open, “Easy,” Horatio commented, frowning as Bobby gagged and sat up in his chair.

Bobby groaned and sank back down, “I had been woken up by an angry phone call from Rick when I suddenly had the feeling that I wasn’t the only one awake,” Horatio explained, suddenly noticing Natalia going back inside her house as Bobby closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Did he phone you?”

“I’ve been so busy with everything that I’ve only visited Rick once since he was transferred to Miami and then he ended up with pneumonia and had to be tubed for two more weeks,” Bobby replied in an apologetic voice as he opened his eyes and sat up. “I was thinking of visiting him later today, actually.”  
Horatio nodded, “Have you gotten a full night’s sleep since Maggie and Amanda died, Bobby?” he asked in a concerned voice as he noticed how pale and thin his nephew was. “Maybe you should talk to…”

“Hagen’s already scared of me and if I went to a counselor, the other officers in Homicide would become more scared of me than they already are,” Bobby replied in a distressed voice as he got up off the lawn chair. “Last week, I asked Hagen why he seemed afraid of me and he told me to shut up and get…”  
Horatio raised an eyebrow at Hagen’s behavior, but said nothing, “Do you want to come in for some coffee before BJ and Adam decide they want to get up?” Bobby asked in a tired voice. “I’m awake.”

“No, I have to get to work early and take care of some paperwork,” Horatio replied, fully intending on going straight to his office and seeing if he could talk to Emily Wolfe about whether or not Detective Hagen should go back to counseling while Bobby was assigned to another trainer. “Are you okay?”  
Bobby shrugged, “It’s getting a bit nippy out here, so maybe I’ll go in and make myself some hot chocolate,” he replied in a tired voice as he moved to the door. “Thanks for checking on me.”

Horatio nodded and waited until Bobby went back inside before he left through the back gate.  
****  
Searing pain jerked Ryan awake and he lay in his bed breathing heavily and nearly gagging.

The room he had at the Speedles wasn’t home; it would never be home and he wanted to get enough money so that he could buy a new place for himself, Emily, James, and Julliet like they had before.

Swearing under his breath, Ryan slowly sat up and placed a hand on his aching chest as he fumbled for the touch lamp that was in his small bedroom. His eye was getting better, but he had to wear tinted glasses for protection and take antibiotics until they were fully healed. Light suddenly filled the room.  
Ryan sighed and, wiping the cold sweat from his face, he got out of bed and silently walked out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. He took his sunglasses off and immediately realized that he could only see clearly out of one eye even though the other eye was supposedly healing. What was wrong?

“Ryan?” a tired, but concerned voice asked as another door opened and footsteps approached.

Ryan turned and through his good eye, he could see Emily, who was dressed in slippers, sweats, and a t-shirt with a bandana over her thinning air, coming towards him helping Julliet, who was wearing flannel pajamas, walk across the plush carpet, “Ryan, your eye is nearly swollen shut,” Emily said in an anxious voice as she looked at Ryan’s puffy eye a moment before looking at Julliet. “How’s your chest?”

“It feels worse than it did when I got shot,” Ryan replied tiredly. “I just want to be back at the lab.”

Emily nodded and sighed, “I’m sorry that the airport let you go because of what happened at the lab and that witch reporter playing it up as if you planned to get shot,” she replied in a disgusted voice as her cell-phone, which she always kept on her, buzzed, “Why don’t you come with me when I visit James?”

Ryan shrugged as Emily helped Julliet sit on the rug and then pulled out her cell phone, “Emily Wolfe,” she said in a professional voice as Ryan slowly sat down on a chair at the counter. “Lieutenant Caine?”

There was talking and Emily sighed, “I can come right away,” she replied in a tired voice. “See you soon.”

“Let me guess, Horatio wants to give you a job,” Ryan said in a pained voice. “I suppose I’m fired.”

Emily scoffed, “Don’t talk like that!” she replied in a stern voice. “Are you gonna see a doctor about…?”

“My eye?” Ryan interrupted in a pained voice. “I’ll take a taxi to the hospital later in the day.”

Emily sighed just as Anthony came out into the kitchen dressed in a suit, “Mister Speedle, would you please take Ryan to the emergency room on your way to work?” she asked in a concerned voice.

Anthony nodded and gave Ryan a concerned look, “Your eye?” he asked in a concerned voice.

“Yeah,” Ryan replied in a nervous voice as Emily put her phone away and picked up Julliet.

Anthony nodded and looked at Emily, “Going to visit James?” he asked in a fatherly tone.

“I’m hoping James will be well enough to leave the hospital soon,” Emily replied in a gentle voice as she held Julliet close. “Before I visit the hospital, though, I need to go and see what Lieutenant Caine wants.”

Anthony raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, “Would you like a ride?” he asked in a gentle voice.

“Marisol already offered to take me to the hospital, so I’m going to see if we can stop by the MDPD before we go to the hospital,” Emily replied tiredly. “I can’t imagine why he wants to see me.”  
****  
Delgado Lounge

I can’t believe I snapped at my partner. Detective Hagen thought mournfully as he downed another shot of whiskey, adding to the three he had already downed since waking in a cold sweat earlier that morning after a nightmare of his poor behavior on the job. He had actually snapped at someone he was training.

The worst part was that Bobby hadn’t done anything to deserve it, but he had been surprisingly forgiving about the incident. It had been a week since the incident and the younger man hadn’t brought it up once after it had happened. They had just answered calls and did their work according to protocol.

Ray had been his last partner, Detective Hagen thought bitterly, and he had ended up descending into a world that had been his moral downfall. Ever since Ray had suddenly reappeared in the back seat of his car and had basically threatened him, Detective Hagen had been on edge and paranoid, but he had muddled his way through his psych assessment so Emily Wolfe would give him the all-clear for duty. 

“Can I get a margarita, please?” a voice suddenly said as someone sat down next to him.

Detective Hagen looked at the blonde man sitting next to him, “Rough day?” he asked drunkenly.

“My boss ordered me to hang out in the underworld for a while,” Edward replied, quickly recognizing the man as Detective Hagen of the Miami-Dade Police Department. “What about you, buddy?”

Alarm bells went off in Detective Hagen’s head, but he amounted it to the alcohol giving him a much needed buzz, “I yelled at my partner on the job last week,” he replied drunkenly. “He just moved here from New York City and is just trying to move on with his life after his wife and daughter died…”

Edward’s eyes widened a bit as he realized that Detective Hagen was referring to Lieutenant Caine’s nephew, Bobby, who had lost his wife and daughter not too long ago, “My last partner got himself in too deep in undercover stuff and I don’t know if I’m cut out for training someone out of New York.”

“How about I buy you some drinks to help with the hurt, bud?” Edward asked in a compassionate voice.

Detective Hagen was quiet for a moment and then nodded, not caring if he was late to work that day.

Edward grinned and raised his hand, “Barkeep, another round,” he said in a tone of amusement.  
******  
Miami-Dade Crime Lab - Miami, Florida

"Well, it's about time you woke up," an accented voice said. "You've been so out of it."

Frowning, Emily looked around for the source of the voice, "If you promise not to scream, I will come out and we can talk," the voice said. "If you scream, I will hurt you."

"I won't scream," Emily replied in a soft voice. "Just please tell me where I am."

There was silence and then a figure dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with a completely bare head and intense eyes waked into view, "Well, Miss Wolfe, how do you feel?"

Before Emily could reply, she felt a searing pain in her left shoulder and gazed down, only to find that it was bandaged and in a sling, "What happened to me?" she asked.

"Bernie missed you," Ramon replied in an amused tone. "He wanted to see you again."

“Miss Wolfe?” a voice suddenly spoke, bringing Emily out of her thoughts. “I’m glad you came so quickly.”

Emily looked up and saw Horatio standing in front of the bench where she was sitting in boots, dress pants, and a dress shirt with her thinning hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, “Julliet was still asleep when you called, so Mrs. Speedle is watching her,” she replied as she stood up. “Marisol Delko gave me a ride here.”

Horatio nodded, “I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you,” he said softly. “Can you take on a patient?”

Emily nodded, but looked slightly confused as she waited for an explanation, “I’ve been getting feedback from Bobby that suggests that Detective Hagen is not as fit for duty as he claims,” Horatio stated softly. “What I’d like to do is temporarily reassign Bobby to another training officer with the recommendation that Hagen undergoes…”

“Additional counseling while taking a desk assignment,” Emily finished softly. “I’d recommend Frank Tripp.”

Horatio was silent for a moment and nodded, “I’ll talk with Bobby when he comes in to work,” he replied, having already decided that Frank would be the ideal choice to train Bobby. “Will you be able to help me, Miss Wolfe?”

“You clear it with the head of Homicide and I’ll help,” Emily replied calmly, sighing as she heard the elevator open.

Horatio nodded, “I’m surprised at you, Lieutenant,” Emily commented softly. “I thought you were concerned.”

“About Ryan?” Horatio asked softly, a hint of surprise in his voice. “Has he not received my messages?”

Emily frowned as Marisol approached from behind, “I’ve been sending him email and text messages asking him to come in and speak with me about possibly working as an assistant to Speed in the lab until he’s cleared,” Horatio explained, a hint of concern in his voice. “Marisol, hello; how are you doing? I heard you drove Emily here.”

Swallowing hard, Emily moved back towards the elevator, pulled out her Blackberry, and fired off a text to Ryan.   
****  
Emergency Room: Miami-Dade University Hospital – 7 A.M.

“Officer Wolfe?”

Ryan opened his eye and was both confused and relieved to see Dr. Loman standing at his bedside with an x-ray in hand while Alexx and Tim stood closer to the door, deep in conversation. “Yes?” Ryan asked in a groggy voice.

“I have your x-ray right here,” Dr. Loman replied in a soothing voice. “I also brought you some company.”

Ryan didn’t move, however, as it would only make him hurt, “An ophthalmologist is going to come by in about half an hour to look at your eye, but I’ll do what I can for your chest,” Dr. Loman stated as he put the x-ray on a lightboard, turned it on and scanned the x-ray. “Fortunately for you, Ryan, there appears to be no fracture.”

“Good,” Ryan replied in a tired voice, frowning as he heard his cell phone vibrate. “Can someone pass me that?”

There were footsteps and then Ryan felt his cell phone being pressed into his hand, “It’s your sister,” Tim replied.

“Hey,” Ryan spoke weakly as he held the phone to his ear and listened. “Yeah, I’m at the hospital right now.”

Ryan was silent as Emily passed on Horatio’s message and insisted that the two men get together to talk sooner than later, “Okay,” he replied in a tired voice. “I’ll talk to him when I’m feeling better; at least nothing’s broken…”

Seeing that Ryan was so tired that he would drop the phone if he didn’t intervene, Tim gently pulled it out of Ryan’s hand, “Ryan’s sleeping, Emily,” he said in a quiet voice, smiling as Ryan slowly drifted off. “Yeah, I’ll tell him…”  
***  
Pediatric Unit - Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital

Relieved that Marisol was standing right outside the room with Horatio, and a nurse, Emily relaxed in the chair, smiling as James huddled close to her. After making a quick phone call in the privacy of his office while Emily and Marisol waited with a guard, Horatio had insisted on accompanying them.  
James cooed softly as Emily gently traced the small cast on his arm with her finger, taking care not to knock the small IV in his hand out of place, “I hope you can leave the hospital soon, James,” she said in a loving voice, chucking as James looked up at her with his blue eyes. “Your sister misses you dearly…”

“Ju?” James asked in a quiet voice, giving Emily a look of confusion as he blinked tiredly. “Wuve.”

Emily sighed and nodded as James reached his good hand up and touched her face; the doctors in charge of James’s care had told her that James had suffered physical and mental trauma because of all the abuse Bernard had inflicted upon him and the damage could stymie his normal development, but Emily didn’t care that James might be different. To her, James was and would always be her James.

“I’ll do what I can to give you and Julliet a good Christmas, my James,” Emily said in a quiet voice as she gently rocked him, smiling at the small gurgling noises he was making. “I love you both so much…”

The door opened and Marisol came in with a nurse, “Miss Wolfe, hello,” the nurse said in a gentle voice as she approached Emily and James. “Doctor Price will be here shortly to discuss discharging James…”

“Discharging James?” Emily asked in a shocked voice. “He’ll still need meds and therapy, won’t he?”

As the nurse nodded, Emily sighed, “I need to talk to Doctor Price about some sort of payment plan, then,” she replied in a worried voice. “My brother, my kids, and I are staying with friends right now…”

“Emily, you shouldn’t worry about it right now,” Marisol spoke up. “Worrying isn’t good for you.”

Emily nodded and gently shifted James so that she could lay back in the chair, “You’re right, Mari,” she replied in a tired voice. “I’ll be anxious to talk to Doctor Price; I miss having my little guy with me.”

“Your friend is right, Miss Wolfe,” the nurse replied as she looked at James’s monitor. “Just relax.”

James gurgled again and Emily sighed, not noticing that Horatio was watching her and James silently and making a mental note to talk to close friends and the Speedles about getting Emily some more help. He had learned from Marisol that Emily had been struggling since Ryan had been shot and wanted to help.  
***  
Ding-Dong!

Swearing under his breath, Bobby, who had been working on tying the red tie that he had worn with his dark suit, ran out of the kitchen where Adam and BJ were sitting at the table in their pajamas with bowls of cereal in front of them. He quickly moved up to the door and silently peered through the peephole.

To his surprise, Frank Tripp was standing on the doorstep in a brown suit and dark tie with his MDPD badge clipped to his belt, “Detective Tripp, what can I do for you?” Bobby asked in a confused voice as he quickly unlocked and opened the front doors. “I hope I’m not in some sort of trouble; am I?”  
Frank gave Bobby a confused look, “I’ve been assigned to take over as your trainer and thought you could use a ride since you don’t have a vehicle yet,” he replied calmly. “I know I’m a little early…”

A loud crash from the kitchen immediately grabbed Bobby’s attention and he ran into the kitchen to see a bowl of cereal on the floor, drowning in a puddle of milk. BJ was staring at the cereal on the floor while Adam was standing beside it with tears pooling in his eyes, “I’m sorry, Daddy,” he whispered sadly.

“Oh, Adam, it’s all right,” Bobby replied calmly, gently pulling the four year old away from the mess and then going over to the sink to get a rag. “Sometimes accidents happen and that was just an accident.”

Adam nodded, but looked at the floor, “Hey kid, wanna see a magic trick?” Frank asked in an eager voice as he grabbed some paper towel off a roll that sat on the counter. “I’m gonna drop it on the milk and…”

Adam’s eyes widened as Frank dropped the paper towels on the milk and the paper towels quickly absorbed the milk, “Cool,” he breathed in an awed voice. “Daddy, who is this guy? Is he magic?”

“This is someone I work with,” Bobby replied in a calm voice. “Sir, these are my kids, BJ and Adam.”

Frank scoffed, “First of all, don’t call me ‘sir’,” he replied in an amused voice. “It’s bad for my ego…”

“Daddy, can we go to New York for Christmas to see Maggie?” BJ asked in a quiet voice. “I miss her.”

Bobby paled considerably, but he quickly composed himself, “Boys, you need to finish up breakfast, get dressed, and get your stuff together for school,” he replied in a nervous voice. “Daddy has to work…”

“I’m done,” BJ replied softly as he pushed his bowl away and stood up. “Can we go out to dinner later?”

Deeply relieved for the change in subject, Bobby nodded, “I think we might,” he replied calmly. “Go on.”

BJ nodded and obediently left the room, “Daddy, can I go get dressed too?” Adam asked softly.

Bobby nodded and sighed as Adam got up and raced from the room, “Wait, I don’t have to work today, so why are you here?” Bobby asked in a confused voice. “And why did I get assigned a new trainer?”

“You’re a smart guy,” Frank replied, silently impressed. “Look, Lieutenant Caine got wind of some problems between you and Hagen, so he decided to switch you to another trainer for the time being. I know you’re not working today and neither am I, but I thought I’d come and let you meet me…”

Bobby crossed his arms, “That makes sense,” he replied calmly. “Can I ask you something, Detective?”

“Call me Frank or Tripp, please,” Detective Tripp replied gently. “And sure; you can ask me questions.”

Swallowing hard, Bobby sighed, “Would you mind helping me take BJ and Adam to school today and then dropping me at the hospital?” he asked softly. “I’m going to visit Rick for a little while today.”

Frank was quiet for a moment and nodded, “Sure,” he replied softly. “Do you mind if I have a cup of…?”

“There’s coffee in the pot, help yourself,” Bobby replied as he left the kitchen and hurried up the stairs.

Frank sighed and as he went over to the coffee pot, he made a mental note to befriend his new partner.  
***  
Manhattan High School – Manhattan, New York

Tommy Lauren smiled as Holly drove away from the curb with Kylie in the backseat and then he turned towards the school only to see Faith and Emily standing on the steps talking, “Tommy,” Emily said in a surprised voice as she turned away from her mother. “Mom, this is Tommy Lauren; he goes here…”

“You’re Carlos and Holly’s son, aren’t you?” Faith asked in a compassionate voice. “How are you?”

Tommy shrugged, remembering Detective Yokas from the many times he had had to talk to police officers about the massacre of his family, “I’m hanging in there, I guess, but I’m not looking forward to Christmas this year,” he admitted in a quiet voice. “I’m glad I have a family, but it just feels weird…”

Suddenly, a car pulled up to the curb and parked. A moment later, Bosco, Danielle, and John got out and walked up to the entrance, “You guys didn’t have to come,” John said in a nervous voice, flinching at seeing Faith, Emily, and Tommy. “They’re not going to listen anyway, so maybe I should just leave…”

“Bosco,” Faith spoke coldly, concerned as to why Bosco and Danielle were coming to school with John.

John immediately averted his gaze and silently walked up the stairs to the door, “Right, this petty crap has to stop,” Danielle snapped, giving Faith a look. “That fiasco in Miami happened two months ago!”

“Your son endangered my daughter,” Faith replied coldly. “And then he got himself kidnapped!”

Emily gasped, “Mom, I went with him willingly,” she replied softly. “He didn’t force me…”

Bosco gazed up the steps and saw that John was sitting on the steps with his backpack at his feet with a somber expression on his face, “If you want to have a shouting match, maybe you shouldn’t do it in front of kids,” Bosco said in a sharp voice as he moved up the steps. “And don’t do it in public.”

“Mom, I need to get inside,” Emily said in a hasty voice, hugging Faith as she moved up the steps.

Faith scoffed, but moved back down the steps and hurried off down the sidewalk, “Are you all right, John?” Danielle asked in a concerned voice as she hurried up the steps. “I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” John replied softly as he stood and picked up his bag. “It’s not like I can forget it…”

Danielle sighed, “Would it help if I told you that I can’t forget what happened to me either, John?” she asked as she drew him into a gentle hug. “Even though I can’t forget it, I can work to move past it.”

“Can I talk to Miss Wolfe on Skype later?” John asked softly. “I think it might help me feel better.”

Danielle nodded as she released him, “I’ll arrange a call for after school, all right?” she replied gently.

“We should get to the meeting,” Bosco spoke up in a gentle voice. “We’ll defend you, okay John?”

John nodded and offered a faint smile as he followed his parents inside of the large high school. He was both bewildered and confused by how much Bosco seemed to care for his mother and for all of them.  
***  
Pediatric Unit - Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital

“Miss Wolfe?”

Emily opened her eyes and her eyes first went to James, who was sleeping in his small hospital bed and then she followed the source of the voice, “Miss Wolfe, I’m sorry to wake you,” Dr. Tara Price, the pediatrician who had been in charge of James’s care said gently as Emily looked at her. “I wanted to talk to you about discharging James in the next few days and the nurse mentioned a sort of payment plan…”

Blinking tiredly, Emily nodded and didn’t move from the chair, “I’ve been undergoing treatment for breast cancer and I’m not sure how much money I have,” she replied in a tired voice. “My brother, my children, and I are staying with friends and I’ve got to get some Christmas things for all of them…”  
“Well, I’m sure we can arrange something,” Dr. Price replied calmly. “James is doing quite well.”

Emily smiled and smiled at her sleeping son, “Can I give James his breakfast?” she asked quietly.

“Only if you let me get you something as well,” Dr. Price replied calmly. “You’ve got to eat, Emily.”

Emily sighed wearily, “I’ve got no appetite in the morning now because of the chemotherapy I’ve had,” she replied in a tired voice. “By the way, I came with a friend; do you know where she got to?”

“I’m right here,” Marisol said in a cheerful voice as she came into the room. “Horatio had to go…”

Emily smiled, “Horatio?” she replied in an amused voice. “It seems you’re quite taken with him.”

“Yes, well, he’s a wonderful distraction,” Marisol replied cheerfully. “He says we should double…”

Emily chuckled softly and moaned as a headache hit her, “I just want to get through the holidays,” she replied in a pain-filled voice as she massaged her head. “What I could use is a rest, but I can’t just…”

“You can and you will,” Dr. Price spoke up firmly. “I can sit with James for a bit and you can sleep…”

Emily sighed, but allowed Marisol to help her out of the chair and over to an empty bed that was right next to the one that James was sleeping in, “Give it at least half an hour and then if you feel better, you can get up and we’ll talk some more,” Dr. Price said in a gentle voice. “I’m on a bit of a break anyway.”

“Emily, are you okay?” a deep voice asked as Tim suddenly entered the room with a small stuffed puppy in his calloused hands. “Ryan’s downstairs with Alexx and an ophthalmologist and I decided to come see James and give him something to make his hospital stay a little easier. I didn’t know you were here.”

Emily looked at Tim through tired eyes, “I’m his mother,” she replied tiredly. “Where else would I be?”

“Officer Speedle, right?” Dr. Price asked, recognizing the CSI as one of Emily’s friends who had come to the hospital during James’s many days as a patient there. “Would you mind sitting with James Wolfe?”

Tim smiled, “I brought James a little something,” he replied calmly. “Hospitals can be scary places…”

Dr. Price smiled, “I’ll leave you to it then,” she replied, chuckling heartily as she left the hospital room.

Smiling sadly, Emily quietly lay down on the gurney and allowed herself to drift into a much needed sleep, trusting that Tim and Marisol would watch over James, as she had to let herself trust again.  
****  
Recovery Unit - Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital

Grateful that Frank had chosen to stay and was waiting in the hall as a precaution, Bobby silently entered Rick’s hospital room and was surprised to see that Rick was asleep in bed. The room had been decorated for Christmas by the hospital, but even with it and Rick’s things, the room looked so lonely.

“…No, please don’t shoot,” Rick suddenly mumbled as he tossed in bed and immediately winced.

Bobby frowned and approached the bed, slinging the bag he had brought for Rick over his shoulder before he decided to place it on the bed, “Rick, wake up,” he said in a concerned voice. “Rick…”

Rick gasped and opened his eyes, “Bobby?” he asked in a shocked voice. “Ow, my shoulder…”

“Here,” Bobby said in a gentle voice as he found the pain button and eased it into Rick’s IV laden hand.

Rick gasped and sighed as the medication quickly kicked in, “Thanks,” he replied softly. “I mean it.”

“I brought you some clothes and books,” Bobby replied calmly, gesturing to the bag on the bed.

Rick nodded and sighed, “Hey, I hope you don’t think I was mad at you,” he said in a tired voice as he gazed up at his younger brother-in-law. “Clavo and Ramon made me send you a nasty message.”

“I figured it was either that or you had taken too much pain medication,” Bobby replied softly as he pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down. “How long have Clavo and Ramon been bothering you?”

Rick blinked, “Over the phone, a great deal,” he replied softly. “At least they haven’t visited.”

Bobby nodded, “I heard Hagen threatened you,” Rick said in a more serious tone. “You okay?”

“How did you hear that?” Bobby asked in a quiet voice. “I didn’t think that was police news.”

Rick chuckled, “I’m not as sadistic and narcissistic as everyone thinks,” he replied softly. “Oh, I’ll be taking a bit of a holiday once I’m cleared to leave the hospital. I’m going to Brazil for a while…”

“Rick, that’s a really stupid idea,” Bobby replied in a concerned voice. “You’ll end up getting killed.”

A somber expression crossed Rick’s face, “I promised someone I’d find their daughter, but I don’t know how to go about it,” he explained in a tired voice. “I don’t want to go to Brazil, but what choice do I…?”

“Rick, maybe you should just get some rest for now,” Bobby said gently, seeing that Rick was tiring. “I’ll sit here with you while you sleep, all right? I don’t work today and some more sleep will do you good.”

Rick scoffed, but nodded, “I don’t need more police supervision, but I will have a sleep,” he replied in a tired voice. “There’s already a guard outside my room and the MDPD keeps sending them, so I’m fine.”

Suddenly understanding why there was a uniformed officer outside of the room who had asked for his ID before allowing him access to Rick, Bobby nodded as he stood up, “I’ll come by later,” he promised.

Rick nodded and closed his eyes as Bobby left the room, “Enjoy your visit?” Frank asked softly.

“Yes,” Bobby replied in a tired voice. “You didn’t have to stay, Frank, but I appreciate that you did.”

Frank nodded and walked alongside Bobby as they walked towards the elevator in complete silence.  
****  
“You want to what?” Bosco asked in a concerned voice as he gazed at John through the rearview mirror while he waited for the traffic light to turn green so that they could keep going. “Why?”

John sighed, “I want to visit Catherine Willows at Bellevue,” he replied softly, playing with the fraying handle on his backpack as he looked at Bosco and his mother. “I want to know why she hurt me.”

“John, that’s not a good idea right now,” Danielle replied in a concerned voice as she turned and looked at her eldest son with a sympathetic expression on her face. “We should just have a quiet holiday.”

John’s eyes narrowed, but he promptly gazed out the window, “From what I’ve heard, John, Catherine’s undergoing treatment for a severe psychotic break and also for post-traumatic stress disorder,” Bosco spoke up in an unusually thoughtful voice as the light turned green and he moved the car forward. 

“…I was told that if I took you to your father, he’d help me find my daughter,” Catherine’s anxious voice filtered through John’s mind, causing him to let out a sigh; it was too dangerous for him to be of any help, but he wanted to help Catherine desperately and had expressed it, yet he wasn’t allowed to.

Seeing John’s concerned look, Bosco sighed, “I’m glad that the school let you go home after the meeting,” he commented in a concerned voice. “John, I know that Catherine ranted to you about her missing child, but you aren’t the police; you’re a kid and you shouldn’t have to go through this.”

“Yeah,” John replied in a tired voice as he slouched in his seat, silently offering a prayer for relief.

Danielle smiled reassuringly at him, “It’ll all be okay, John,” she replied confidently. “I promise you.”  
****  
“Ryan?”

Ryan opened his good eye and was surprised to see Eric standing beside the bed with a wheelchair and a concerned looking Alexx, “The ophthalmologist and the ER doc said you’re clear to leave, but that you can’t drive until the patch comes off,” Alexx explained gently. “Eric’s going to give you a ride.”

“Don’t you have to work?” Ryan asked in a confused voice as he slowly sat up. “I don’t want to…”

Eric shook his head, “I traded shifts with Valera, so I’m off today,” he replied calmly. “Ready?”

Nodding, Ryan slowly stood up and sank into the wheelchair, “Emily’s still upstairs with James and Speed’s watching over them both, but Speed’s mom is at the house with Julliet,” Eric explained as he wheeled Ryan from the room. “I came while you were resting and also got updates on the phone.”  
Ryan flinched as they went out into the sun and through his good eye, he could see Eric’s car parked at the curb, but the windows had been smashed; it was if someone had been following Eric closely.

“What the heck?” Eric asked in a sharp voice as he hurried over to the car. “Brand new windows…”

Alexx gasped and Ryan suddenly saw Ray, who didn’t look quite healthy, hiding in the bushes with a bat in his gloved hands. Ray narrowed his eyes at Ryan, but said nothing; he only gave Ryan a sharp look before disappearing into the bushes. Ryan nearly jumped out of the chair when Alexx touched his arm.

“Baby, are you all right?” Alexx asked in a concerned voice, wondering if Ryan had gone into shock.

Ryan nodded, “I’m fine,” he replied in a quiet voice, making a mental note to contact Victims’ Assistance.


	2. Chaos Averted and Rescheduled

December 17

Miami-Dade Police Department – Miami, Florida

Eric raised an eyebrow as he got out of his car and saw a suited-up Bobby step off a bus with a large garbage bag over one shoulder and a little boy at his side. As the bus pulled away, Bobby and the boy came up the steps and stopped in front of the door as if they were looking for something specific.

Curious as to what was going on, Eric followed Bobby and the boy at a distance into the building and saw them stop at a bin in the foyer that was labelled ‘Toy Drive’ where Natalia was standing, talking animatedly with Calleigh, “Detective Caine, how are you?” Calleigh asked pleasantly, smiling at him.

“I’m fine, but I couldn’t find a sitter for Adam today, so I brought him,” Bobby explained, smiling at Adam, who was looking at Natalia and Calliegh with big eyes. “Adam, say hi to Natalia and Calleigh.”

Adam smiled and waved at Natalia and Calliegh, but didn’t say anything, “Adam’s really shy around people he doesn’t know,” Bobby explained gently as he set the bag on the floor. “Anyway, I have a donation for the MDPD Toy Drive and I thought I’d drop it off before I took Adam upstairs with me.”

Natalia and Calleigh opened the bag and began to remove the unwrapped toys, “They’re all gently used, but I don’t have any reason to keep them anymore,” Bobby explained softly, suddenly feeling a lump in his throat as tears pricked his eyes. “Adam, could you stay with Natalia and Calleigh for a moment?”

Before Adam could reply, Bobby slipped off into the men’s restroom for an opportunity to compose himself before going on duty, “These are some really nice toys,” Calleigh commented in a surprised voice as they set the toys in the bin. “I wonder where Detective Caine got such lovely stuff from.”

“Those were Maggie’s toys,” Adam replied softly, his eyes drifting to the toys in Natalia’s hands. “My daddy said that Maggie would be happy that her toys were going to kids who didn’t have any.”

Suddenly realizing that it was the LaRusso-Caine family’s first Christmas without two of their family members, Natalia and Calleigh exchanged a look, “I think your sister would be proud, Adam,” Calleigh replied softly, sighing as Adam looked at the floor and stuck his lower lip out. “It’s a good idea.”

Natalia, however, walked over to Adam and gave him a gentle hug. They and Calleigh didn’t notice an irritated looking John Hagen come in and head straight for the elevator, but he noticed them all.

Irritation welled up in Hagen’s soul as he recognized Bobby’s youngest son hanging out with Calleigh and Natalia; he had been put on desk duty instead of being allowed to finish training Bobby and now, he was facing leave with pay because of Horatio’s claim that he needed more time to receive counseling. How was it fair that Bobby got to enjoy things when he had to endure more than he did at Ray’s death?

As the elevator opened and Hagen stepped inside, he made a mental note to talk to Bobby later on.  
****  
New York City, New York

“Walsh is such a jerk,” Carlos hissed as he drove down the street from the Camelot Firehouse where Walsh and Danielle had met and discussed Danielle’s supposed lack of commitment to her job versus her children and new husband. “I don’t care what he says; you work your kiester off as a paramedic.”  
Danielle sighed as she tucked her hair behind her ears, “I’m just glad I have the rest of the day off,” she replied in a distressed voice. “I invited Kim and Jimmy and their kids over to the apartment for dinner tonight along with my father and John’s there, but I want him to be able to focus on schoolwork.”

“Nothing’s getting better with his school, huh?” Carlos asked sympathetically as he stopped at a red light and looked at Danielle as they waited for the light to change. “I thought you and Bosco had a meeting…”

Danielle scoffed as the light changed, “The school’s thoughts are that John might be better in a homeschooling program,” she replied in a distressed voice. “We can’t afford that, though, since Maurice and I are already alternating the days we work so that one of us can be home in case of an emergency.”

“Is that why I heard you shouting at Walsh?” Carlos asked softly. “You want less hours?”

Danielle nodded, “That, and I need time off in January so we can go to Miami,” she replied in a concerned voice. “I love this job, Carlos, but I love my kids and Maurice a lot more, so…”

“Do what feels right,” Carlos cut in reassuringly. “I’ll drive you to the apartment, all right?”  
****  
Victims’ Assistance Headquarters – Miami, Florida

“Ryan”

Ryan looked up and saw Warrick standing in front of him wearing dress pants, a cardigan, and a jacket with a badge hanging around his neck while an LVPD badge was on his belt, “I’m Warrick , remember?” Warrick asked in a concerned voice as he sat down next to Ryan. “I understand you’ve had trouble?”

“Yeah, I have,” Ryan replied, grateful when Warrick closed the door to the office that they were in. “I don’t know if you’ll think I’m crazy, but I think I’m being stalked by Raymond Caine and he’s…”

Warrick sighed, “I’ve heard rumors about Ray, but you’re the first to come forward,” he replied in a concerned voice as he sat down in a chair across from Ryan. “I take it this has something to do with that stupid news report that Erica Sykes did about you that included some interview with Dan Cooper?”

“Ray must have watched it and he’s been leaving me threatening voicemails and sending me threatening text messages,” Ryan replied, offering his phone to Warrick. “They’re all on here.”

Warrick nodded, but didn’t take the phone, “And you haven’t reported this to police?” he asked softly.

“Ray’s underground and most think he’s dead,” Ryan asked in a quiet voice. “Who would believe me?”

Warrick sighed, “What about your boss or someone at the Crime Lab?” he asked in a worried voice.

“I can’t exactly trust anyone there,” Ryan replied softly, hints of shame apparent in his eyes.

Instead of being judgmental, however, Warrick nodded patiently, “Tell you what, I’ll personally keep an eye on Ray Caine and see if I can’t get him to stop bothering you,” he promised, knowing full well where Ray spent a lot of his time. “You look nervous about something else, though; what else is wrong?”

“The holidays are stressful because I haven’t been cleared to work on anything but paperwork yet and Christmas is in a few weeks,” Ryan replied nervously. “My sister’s being treated for breast cancer.”

Warrick nodded, his expression solemn, “I’m thinking of taking advantage of the MDPD toy drive just so James and Julliet cam have something for Christmas,” Ryan commented anxiously. “I mean, gently used toys are better than no toys at all and my weak salary is going towards saving for a new place.”

“You’re living with the Speedles, right?” Warrick asked softly, worried by how tired Ryan looked.

Ryan nodded and checked his watch, “Oh, I’m going to be late for my second job,” he said in an anxious voice as he stood up. “I took a second job at a café in Calle Ocho to make ends meet right now.”

“I’ll look into what you’ve told me,” Warrick replied, sensing that Ryan was just trying to get away.

Nodding, Ryan hurried out of the building and hurried down the street to the bus stop, hoping that nobody would know that he went to Warrick and that he could keep all his problems a secret.

Little did Ryan know that Eric had just been to the ATM across the street and had spotted his younger colleague coming out of the building in a hurry, leading him to wonder if something had happened.

Making a note that he had to pick Marisol up from chemo in a while, Eric got into his car and slowly began to tail Ryan at a distance, wondering why the younger CSI didn’t ask for help if he needed it.  
*******  
Miami-Dade Police Department

“Detective Hagen, I’m sorry,” Chief Burton said solemnly as he looked up at the disheveled detective that stood before him. “It’s the recommendation of the department psychologist and others in the department that you be put on medical leave until further notice. You’ll be paid a good wage…”

Gritting his teeth, Hagen silently nodded, “Just take some time off and maybe take a vacation since it’s so close to the holidays anyway,” Chief Burton continued calmly. “After the holidays, we’ll talk about arranging more sessions with the goal of getting you back to desk work within the precinct.”

Before Hagen could reply, there was a knock at the door and Chief Burton looked up from his desk to see a tired looking Stetler standing there in a suit and tie, “Stetler’s coming back to work?” Hagen asked in a shocked voice as Chief Burton stood up. “Are you sure he should come back to work so soon?”

Knowing full well that Hagen was trying to manipulate him, Chief Burton silently left his office and was unsurprised to see that Horatio was lingering nearby, “Ah, Chief Burton, I was just thanking Lieutenant Caine for the ride to the precinct this morning,” Stetler said calmly. “I can’t drive again quite yet.”   
“It was not a problem, Rick,” Horatio replied calmly, as Bobby had asked him to be of help to Rick.

Stetler nodded, “All I would like to do at this point is half-shifts because I still have periods of pain and tiredness where I need to rest, but I am not rich enough to take much time off,” he explained calmly.

“I understand completely,” Chief Burton replied calmly. “As long as you stick to light duty, however.”

A faint smile appeared on Stetler’s lips, “That was the plan, sir,” he replied calmly. “So, am I cleared?”

Chief Burton nodded and Stetler sighed before he walked off towards his office, “Lieutenant Caine, I thought you should know that I’ve put Detective Hagen on medical leave until further notice,” Chief Burton stated in a quiet, but concerned voice. “I told him it was best under the circumstances.”

Horatio nodded, but didn’t say anything, “I also heard that Ryan Wolfe’s having some trouble getting requalified to be back in your lab,” he continued in a concerned voice. “According to Dan Cooper, Wolfe was at the shooting range yesterday and was seen squinting while shooting. That’s a big problem.”

“Mister Wolfe is still on medical leave,” Horatio replied in a concerned voice. “I do not see how it is anyone’s business as to how he spends his time since his medical leave is being paid for.”

Chief Burton nodded, “I’ve heard rumors in the department that a reporter named Erica Sikes is friends with Mister Cooper and has been stalking Mister Wolfe,” Horatio continued softly. “I would like permission to put a security detail on both Ryan and Emily Wolfe given what has happened to them.”

“Rosa Speedle already requested that for their house and for the Speedle’s restaurant in Calle Ocho,” Chief Burton replied in a calm voice. “I hope it’s okay that CSI Speedle volunteered to keep an eye on his father’s restaurant when he’s not on duty. I approved it, but I told him to be careful about doing it.”

Horatio nodded, “That’s fine,” he replied calmly, smiling when the elevator doors slid open and Bobby came out of the elevator with Adam at his side. “Bobby, it’s good to see that you made it here safely.”

“Babysitters are almost impossible to find this close to Christmas,” Bobby replied gently. “I just had to stop downstairs and make a sizeable donation to the MDPD Toy Drive box. It sounds really nice.”

Adam sighed, “Daddy gave Maggie’s toys to charity because they make him sad,” he spoke softly.

Bobby smiled sadly, but didn’t scold Adam, “I was wondering where Detective Tripp is today?” he asked in a confused voice. “I didn’t see him downstairs and last I checked, I was on the schedule for today.”

“Your training also involves office work that doesn’t have to be supervised by Detective Tripp,” Chief Burton replied calmly, giving Bobby and Adam a reassuring smile. “I’d like to show you to your desk.”

Bobby’s eyes widened slightly, “My what?” he asked in a shocked voice. “Is that really necessary?”

“You’re a detective and detectives have desks,” Chief Burton replied calmly. “It’s protocol.”

At a loss for words, Bobby could only lead Adam along as he and Horatio followed Chief Burton into the office area and stopped at a decent sized cubicle that had a desk, three chairs, and a small filing cabinet as well as a small plaque on the desk that read ‘Detective LaRusso-Caine’ and it all looked very clean.

“Daddy, is this your office?” Adam asked softly, awed by the furniture and by the strange plaque.

Bobby blinked, “I guess it is, Adam,” he replied gently. “This is a really nice office, Chief.”

“Enjoy it,” Chief Burton replied in a calm voice, grinning as he walked off back towards his office.

Swallowing hard, Bobby silently entered the cubicle and helped Adam sit in one of the visitor’s chairs while he sat in the chair behind the desk, “The paperwork’s in the first drawer in the desk,” Horatio explained, a smile on his face as he watched Adam spin around in the chair. “How are you doing?”

“It’s still difficult for me to sleep through the night and with Christmas coming, it will only get harder,” Bobby replied in a distressed voice, grateful that Adam was too distracted by the plaque to listen in.

Horatio nodded, an expression of concern on his face, “Just take it one day at a time and perhaps you ought to think about going to the support group for abused spouses that I told you about back in New York,” he replied gently, making a mental note to talk to Alexx about getting Bobby a sleep aid.

“If I can find a babysitter, I’ll go,” Bobby replied softly. “It would help me get used to all of this.”

Again, Horatio nodded, “Take it easy today and I’ll come by to take you and Adam to lunch around noon, all right?” he replied in a fatherly tone. “I’ve got to go up to the lab, but I have eyes everywhere.”

Despite his tiredness, Bobby couldn’t help but chuckle softly as Horatio walked off towards the Lab.  
****  
Boscorelli Apartment – New York, New York

Scowling at the snow falling outside the window, Bosco slipped the pan of diabetic friendly lasagna into the oven and set the timer. He then turned to check on how John was doing on his homework and was not surprised to see that John was asleep on the couch with his textbook and notebook on his lap.

Sighing patiently, Bosco silently walked over to the couch and bookmarked John’s place in the textbook with the notebook before setting both on the coffee table, “Hmm?” John suddenly spoke sleepily.

“Just relax,” Bosco replied in a gentle voice as he pulled his mother’s afghan off the back of the couch and draped it over John so he’d be warm and comfortable. “I know you didn’t sleep well last night.”

The only reply Bosco got was a groggy groan and he sighed before returning to the kitchen to start getting things out of the fridge so he and Ellie could put together a salad, “How’d you know I didn’t sleep last night?” he heard John ask in a tired voice. “I knew you hid my shoes, but I didn’t think you could…”

“I’ve been a cop for a long time and your hearing gets pretty good,” Bosco replied calmly, taking lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and apples out of the fridge. “What should we have to drink?”

John sighed groggily, “Green tea?” he replied without opening his eyes. “Might help me feel better.”

“Maybe,” Bosco replied calmly as he set the items on the counter. “Do you want some right now?”

John sighed sleepily and rolled on to his side, “I guess not,” Bosco replied just as the apartment door opened and footsteps entered the apartment. “No sense in trying to sneak in here, Sully.”

There was a snicker and Bosco turned to see Sully standing there with David and Ellie, “School let out early because of the snow!” David crowed excitedly, causing John to open his eyes with a tired sigh.

“Good, then you can both do your homework before your mom gets home and Jimmy, Kim, Joey, and Camille come over for dinner,” Bosco replied firmly. “Are you going to stay for dinner, Sully?”

Sully nodded, “Yeah,” he replied in a calm voice. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Jimmy and Kim.”

“Daddy, can I help make the salad?” Ellie asked, spotting the things on the counter. “It’s really fun.”

Shocked and pleased that Ellie called him ‘Daddy’, Bosco nodded, “I have to be the one to chop up the vegetables, but you can put the things into the salad bowl,” he replied calmly. “Sit at the table.”

Looking excited, Ellie set her backpack near the closet and hurried over to the kitchen table and Bosco quickly brought the salad bowl, lettuce, and tongs over to the table, “Tear up the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and put it into the bowl while I chop up the vegetables,” Bosco stated. “David, set the table.”  
“John, can you help me?” David asked softly. “I’m too short to reach the plates without breaking them.”

John sighed and got off the couch with the afghan still wrapped around him, “When you’re done with helping David, John, go check your blood sugar and take insulin if you need to,” Bosco replied in a concerned voice, worried about how tired and withdrawn John seemed. “Your Mom should be home…”

There was suddenly a knock at the door and Sully answered it, surprised to find Carlos in the hallway with a sullen looking Danielle, “Thanks for the ride, Carlos,” Danielle said in a soft voice as she walked into the apartment and straight into her room without looking at anyone or even saying hello.  
“What happened?” Bosco asked in a concerned voice, the salad quickly forgotten. “Never mind.”

Wondering what crap Walsh had dished out on Danielle, Bosco silently went into the master bedroom and saw Danielle laying on the bed crying softly, “What happened?” he asked in a concerned voice.

“Walsh just started berating me and said that I shouldn’t have married a beat cop who works the same shift and the kids would end up neglected because of it,” Danielle replied tearfully. “He knows about everything and he started calling John a deluded psychotic brat. I kinda snapped a bit after that…”

Bosco sat down on the bed, “Snapped how, Danielle?” he asked in a concerned voice.

“I called him a deluded domineering freak like Edward was,” Danielle replied in an embarrassed voice as she looked at the floor. “Walsh replied by saying that maybe if I would have stayed with him over marrying you, John wouldn’t be so screwed up. I called him a fool for a Captain and said that he shouldn’t treat his paramedics so badly if he wanted to stay Captain because I would complain to the city if he kept the crap up with me. Maurice, Walsh kinda got mad and shoved me into the wall.”

Anger filled Bosco’s eyes, “He what?!” he replied in a sharp voice. “Did you report it to the cops?”

“Carlos saw the whole thing and threatened to kill Walsh if he did it again,” Danielle replied in a pained voice. “I don’t want to go report it alone and if I report Walsh, I’ll lose the job and the income.”

Bosco frowned, “I’ll go with you, but we should hurry if we’re going to be back before Kim and Jimmy come over with their kids,” he replied in a concerned voice. “So what if you lose the job?”

“I don’t want to go anywhere else in this weather, Maurice,” Danielle replied in a distressed voice as she laid down on the bed. “Can you just call someone from the precinct and have them come over?”

Bosco sighed, “Danielle, I’ll go with you and the sooner you do it, the sooner you’ll feel better,” he replied calmly. “Walsh has some anger issues from 9/11 that he obviously never got worked out even though all of us cops were ordered to get help. It even took me a while to get help about 9/11.”

Danielle sighed and got off the bed, wrapping her arms around Bosco before they went out into the living room, “Mom, Uncle Carlos had to leave, but he says you should rest,” John spoke up from his place on the couch, watching as Bosco grabbed his coat from the closet. “Are you going out?”

“Yeah, honey, we are,” Danielle replied in a gentle voice. “We’ll be back before dinner, okay?”

John nodded and sighed, quickly realizing that something bad had most likely happened between his mother and her boss, as she was home earlier than usual, “Love you,” he said softly as they left.

“All right, what’s wrong?” Sully asked in a concerned voice once Bosco and Danielle were gone.

John scoffed, “Walsh was a jerk to Mom,” he replied tonelessly. “That’s why she was home early.”

Sully frowned, but didn’t say anything because he knew that John was probably right and that Walsh shouldn’t have been allowed to continue in his work without going to counseling after 9/11.

“Grandpa, can you help me with my homework?” David asked as he sat at the table with his bag.

Sully nodded and as he went to the table, he sighed, “John, maybe you should do a little more of your schoolwork before dinner,” he replied in a calm voice, smiling as he took a seat at the table. Truth be told, he wanted to go beat Walsh up for hurting Danielle, but he had other responsibilities to see to.  
****  
Speedle’s Restaurant – Calle Ocho, Miami, Florida

Eric pulled up to the nearest free curb and was surprised to see Ryan standing in the restaurant that Anthony Speedle owned, talking with both Anthony and Tim while fixing his tie. Wondering why Ryan seemed to be working at a restaurant when he was supposed to be working on getting back to the lab, Eric got out of the Hummer, locked it, and walked across the road to the carefully decorated restaurant.

Not wanting Ryan to see him, Eric hid behind one of the bushes and watched for a few minutes as Anthony talked with Ryan and Tim before moving further into the restaurant. Ryan and Tim talked for a few minutes and then Tim silently sat at a table in the corner of the currently quiet restaurant.  
“Eric Delko, what are you doing spying on people?” Eric suddenly heard an amused voice say.

Eric turned and saw Marisol coming down the street with a tired Emily, who was pushing James and Julliet in a double stroller that looked brand new, “Mari, how was your meeting?” he asked gently.

“It was good,” Marisol replied calmly. “Eric, why are you spying on Ryan while he’s working?”

Eric frowned, “Working?” he asked in a concerned voice. “I thought he was requalifying?”

“Erica Sikes and Dan Cooper have been giving him trouble and they shot a video of his requalifying test at the range,” Emily explained in a disgusted voice. “It distracted him so much that he didn’t shoot well.”

Before Eric could reply, Emily pushed the stroller down the sidewalk and into the restaurant, “What’s really going on, Mari?” Eric asked in a concerned voice, knowing that Emily had just told him a lie.

“It’s not my place to tell, Eric,” Marisol muttered anxiously as she walked off inside after Emily.

Frowning, Eric moved over to the window and watched as Marisol helped Emily with James and Julliet while Anthony brought out several boxes including one tall enough to fit a tree. Emily talked softly to James and Julliet and smiled as they laughed at watching Anthony and Ryan set up the small tree.

Ryan and Emily are probably barely making ends meet. Eric thought sadly as he returned to his Hummer across the street and got behind the wheel. I wonder if I could get a few Christmas things for them.

Silently pulling out his phone, Eric quickly texted Calliegh for ideas on how to help people in need at Christmas without using Ryan or Emily’s names. He knew that Calleigh would have good ideas.

Unknown to Eric, another person had been watching the restaurant from their car and was very amused that Ryan was working there instead of being a CSI, “What are you looking at, Caine?” Ramon scoffed from the backseat of the car that he had hijacked while Ray was driving. “What’s in the eatery?”

“A couple of CSI’s,” Ray hissed, angry at himself for being careless enough to leave the car doors unlocked, allowing Ramon to slip into the car without detection during a stop at traffic lights. 

Ramon hooted and pinched Ray’s ear, “You’re high, aren’t you?” he asked in an amused voice.

Instead of responding, Ray fingered his keychain and started the engine, being sure to turn the wheel in such a way that he would drive off without attracting attention. Unaware that his car was directed at the nearby restaurant, Ray set the car into ‘Drive’ and pressed on the accelerator as hard as he could.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Ramon screamed, leaning forward to grab the wheel as the car sped towards the restaurant, barely missing it and instead slamming into the empty building next door.

Eric, who had just pulled out, stopped his Hummer, set it in ‘Park’, and immediately got on his cell-phone while he surveyed the extensive damage and the damaged car that had caused the chaos.

Almost immediately, James and Julliet started screaming loudly and even though she was exhausted from the meeting and the walk to the restaurant, Emily picked up both infants and began to coo to them quietly. Julliet calmed down after only a few seconds, but James continued to sob uncontrollably.

Overwhelmed, Emily carefully set Julliet back in the stroller and gently kissed James on the forehead, “Shh, James,” she whispered repeatedly, cringing as the sound of the car’s horn suddenly filled the air.

“Is everyone okay over here?” Tim asked softly as he came over from where he had been sitting.

Without offering a reply, Ryan ran outside just in time to see Ray climb out of the vehicle and dash off into the nearest alleyway, “Wolfe, are you all right?” he suddenly heard Eric ask in a worried voice.

Ryan, however, was both shellshocked and confused as to Ray’s attempt at trying to kill him. He had been wary of Ray and had reported his instability to Victims Assistance, but had Ray heard about it?  
****  
Manhattan Precinct – New York, New York

Exhausted from having to patrol in the snowy weather, Ty slunk into the chair nearest to the door that led outside, fully intending on taking just a minute to breathe before he went home to the place he shared with Sasha when she wasn’t working. He had worked hard, was exhausted, and needed rest.

Just as Ty was about to get up and say goodbye to Brendan so they could both leave, the doors opened and Bosco and Danielle came into the precinct, “Davis, what’s up?” Bosco asked, seeing his old friend.

“Brendan and I just got done and I’m getting ready to leave,” Ty replied kindly. “Sasha’s waiting…”

Danielle sighed, but didn’t say anything, “Walsh got aggressive with my wife and I’m not letting him get away with that,” Bosco explained in an irritated voice. “Is there anyone here we can file a report with?”

“Billy Walsh?” Brendan asked in a concerned voice, having overheard Bosco as he came down the hall.

Danielle nodded, “We had an argument at work and he shoved me against a wall,” she replied in a nervous voice, knowing the only way to serve as a good example to others was to speak bravely.

Ty was quiet for a moment and sighed, “I’m sorry, I thought someone had warned you about Walsh,” he replied in an embarrassed voice. “He should have been made to go to counseling after 9/11, but we…”

“The emergency departments had already lost so many and Walsh thought that if he took time off for the kind of counseling he needed, the department would be all the worse off,” Carlos, who had come to complain about Walsh’s treatment of Danielle, commented as he came down the hall. “Hi Danielle.”  
Danielle frowned, “Carlos, I thought you had gone home?” she asked in a confused voice. “What are…?”

“I wasn’t sure if you would come since you’ve got company coming for dinner, so I decided to stop by and file a complaint of my own,” Carlos replied in a concerned voice. “I heard him shove you.”

Danielle sighed, “Thanks for coming, Carlos, but I need to be a big girl and speak out because I need to show that I’m not going to let fear eat me alive,” she replied softly. “Who did you talk to here?”

“Brendan, actually,” Carlos replied calmly. “He and Ty were on their way out, but they’re Anti-Crime.”

Danielle nodded and sighed and her eyes widened as she suddenly saw Faith walk down the hallway from an interview room, “Faith?” she called out anxiously, feeling uneasy around all of the men.

Faith froze at seeing Danielle, but didn’t move away, “Faith, can we talk?” Danielle asked softly as she walked over to her and sighed. “I had some problems at work and I need to talk to a woman about it.”

“Bos, why don’t you come too?” Faith asked, seeing that Bosco was concerned. “Danielle needs you.”

Bosco nodded and followed Faith and Danielle into an empty interview room. Faith sat and pulled out a pen and paper while Bosco helped Danielle to sit before sitting beside her and taking her hand in his.

“Captain Walsh and I had an argument at work and he shoved me into a wall in anger,” Danielle replied in a nervous voice as tears filled her eyes. “I’m seriously thinking about quitting, but I can’t afford to.”

Faith sighed and made a few notes, “Are there any bruises?” she asked in a concerned voice.

“I don’t know,” Danielle replied softly, sighing as Faith took out a small digital camera. “Hang on.”

Faith and Bosco watched as Danielle removed her shirt, bra, stood up, and turned, revealing a bruise across her shoulders and back that was beginning to color. Faith silently took a few photos of the bruises at different distances and angles and then waited silently as Bosco helped Danielle to get redressed.

“Give me a detailed description of what happened and I’ll put a report together with your information and the photos,” Faith said in a concerned voice. “I’ll go see Captain Walsh about it tomorrow.”

Hoping that Jimmy and Kim would forgive her lateness, Danielle sighed calmly and began to speak.  
****  
Anthony Speedle sighed as he came into the kitchen and saw Ryan silently chopping vegetables even though he didn’t have to, “Lieutenant Caine and several crime scene investigators are next door looking at the accident,” he explained calmly. “Emily and Marisol are out talking to Lieutenant Caine and Timothy, but I know you saw something that bothered you. Ryan, what exactly did you see?”

“Someone who everyone thinks is dead,” Ryan replied softly, not wanting to talk to Horatio and get pegged a deluded freak after failing to requalify. “I also saw Ramon Cruz in the backseat.”

Anthony frowned, “Ramon, the youngest son of General Cruz?” he asked in a concerned voice.

“Yes,” Ryan replied anxiously, not looking up from his chopping. “He’s got diplomatic immunity.”

There was a heavy silence and Anthony sighed, “If you don’t feel like coming out, you do not have to,” he stated in a calm voice. “Just know that you and your family are safe staying at our house.”

Ryan nodded and silently continued chopping vegetables and Anthony silently went out into the street where police cars and CSI Hummers were blocking traffic. Horatio was chatting with Marisol while Emily and Tim were sitting in one of the Hummers with the doors open and James and Julliet on their laps.

Eric and Calleigh were busy examining the car while Erica Sikes and a cameraman were trying to film all the action and talk to everyone. Ramon had somehow disappeared from the backseat, so the car was empty, but patrol officers still had their hands full trying to keep back the crowd that had gathered.

“Mister Speedle, how are you doing?” Lieutenant Caine asked softly as he walked over to Anthony.

Anthony sighed, “We were in the middle of decorating the restaurant for Christmas when the car ran into the building next door,” he replied anxiously. “For a minute, I thought the car was headed right at my restaurant, but it swerved at the last moment and fortunately missed hitting the building.”

“It swerved at the last minute?” Horatio replied in a curious voice. “Did you see who was driving?”

Anthony shook his head, “I just know that two men were in the car and when I talked to Ryan, he said that Ramon Cruz was in the backseat at the time of the crash,” he replied in a worried voice.

“Hmm,” Horatio replied in an intrigued voice as he put on his sunglasses. “Thank you for telling me that, Mister Speedle, but I would very much like to talk to Mister Wolfe. Is he available for me to talk to?”

Anthony shook his head and was about to offer some sort of excuse that would prompt Horatio to leave Ryan alone when Marisol came over to them, “Lieutenant Caine, are you done talking with us?” she asked in a soft voice, giving him a curious look. “Emily wants to take James and Julliet back to the house and I’m going to drive them back in Eric’s car and visit a while. If you’re not done talking to us…”

“No, I’ve got Eric, Calleigh, and Speed to help me out,” Horatio replied calmly. “I would, however, enjoy seeing you again at another time in a more pleasant environment. I’ve been thinking about it and was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner sometime with me? To a quiet restaurant somewhere?”

Marisol smiled and nodded, “I am also aware that Speed has feelings for Miss Wolfe, but that he would prefer a group date because there is safety in numbers,” Horatio continued softly, trying not to think about the incident at McCauley Jeweler’s’. “Perhaps we could double with Speed and Miss Wolfe?”

“That would be very nice, Lieutenant Caine,” Marisol replied in a gentle voice. “When?”

Horatio lowered his sunglasses briefly, “I’ll contact you when we’re done here,” he replied gently.

“Okay,” Marisol replied softly, giving Horatio an innocent smile before turning and walking back to the Hummer where Tim and Emily were now settling James and Julliet back into the stroller while talking.

Not far from the scene, Edward, who had been on his way back through Calle Ocho to his hotel room in the more seedy part of Miami, had seen the crash and found himself amused by it. He was disguised because he knew that the MDPD would not hesitate to arrest him for his hand in John’s abduction and he had been ordered to lie low until Bernie told him otherwise. Today was a day of amusement for him.  
********  
Boscorelli-Sullivan Apartment – New York, New York

Danielle pasted a smile on her face as she and Bosco walked into the apartment and saw that Jimmy and Kim had arrived with Joey and Camille in tow. Jimmy was sitting on the couch reading to Joey and Camille while David and Ellie sat at the table, watching while Kim set the table with plates and the food.

“Where’s John?” Danielle asked in a concerned voice as she closed the door. “Is he all right?”

Sully sighed, “When Kim and Jimmy arrived, John took his homework to his and David’s room,” he replied in a calm, but concerned voice. “He’s already checked his blood sugar and he said to just tell him when dinner’s ready and he’ll take a break from work. He didn’t even say hi to Jimmy, Kim, or the kids.”

“Maurice, do you want to talk to John or you want me to?” Danielle asked in a concerned voice.

Bosco sighed and gently stroked her hand, “I can talk to him,” he replied softly, deeply gratified that Danielle was giving him opportunity to be a father to the kids. “You just go take it easy, all right?”

Danielle nodded and Bosco silently went over to the door that led to the bedroom that John and David shared, “John, it’s Maurice,” Bosco said in a calm voice. “Can I come in and talk to you for a minute?”

There was a sigh and a quiet ‘okay’, so Bosco opened the door and found John sitting on his bed with his notebook and textbook in front of him, “Hey,” John replied softly, not looking up. “Is it dinner time?”

“You think Jimmy’s injuries are your fault, don’t you?” Bosco asked softly, giving John a look.

John sighed, “If Edward hadn’t been looking for me, he wouldn’t have gone to the house and set it on fire,” he replied in a tired voice. “Doc would still be alive if I had insisted on staying home on…”

“If your mom hadn’t made you come to my place on Halloween, you’d be dead,” Bosco replied in a matter-of-fact voice as he sat on the bed and looked at John. “You’d have died with Doc in that fire.”

John was quiet for a moment and nodded, his eyes brimming with tears as he closed his books, “I’m the reason Jimmy was shot and I’m really surprised he didn’t bite my head off when he came in,” he explained in a soft voice. “He can’t work right now and I’m sure he’s really frustrated about it.”

“It’s not like they’re not paying him,” Bosco replied calmly. “Jimmy’s on disability right now and it’s 75 percent tax free, so his family is well taken care of. He gets to spend time with Kim and his kids and I sometimes visit him during my breaks and Jimmy doesn’t hate you; neither does Kim. All right?”

John sighed and nodded, “I know all this recovery stuff is hard, but I also know that you’re a lot stronger than I was during my recovery,” Bosco continued softly. “You’ve got such a loving family who will support you through everything now and in January when we have to go back to Miami for that thing.”  
“I wish I could remember more than I do,” John replied in a frustrated voice. “I’ve been trying, but…”

Bosco sighed as he stood up, “Just keep doing what Miss Wolfe tells you to do over Skype and don’t try to rush your recovery, all right?” he replied in a gentle voice. “Are you still doing your meditation stuff?”

“Yeah,” John replied softly. “I eat lunch alone, so I do it then. I’m really trying to remember things.”

Bosco nodded and John got up off the bed, “Let’s go eat dinner and you don’t even have to talk to anyone else about this if you don’t want to, all right?” he suggested gently. “It should be ready.”

Nodding, John followed Bosco out into the common area and saw that Danielle, Kim, Jimmy, Sully, David, Ellie, Joey, and Camille were all sitting around a table that had plates, cutlery, glasses, a pitcher of green tea, a pan of lasagna, and a bowl of salad on it. There were two empty seats left at the table.

Grateful to have talked like father and son, John and Bosco silently took their places at the table.  
*********  
Coral Gables – Miami, Florida

“Emily never came to see me while I was in the hospital,” Bernard snapped, throwing a dart at a dartboard from his easy chair as Ramon walked into the room. “Why didn’t she, Ramon?”

Ramon said nothing and looked to Clavo, who was sitting on the couch reading a magazine, for an idea of what to say, “She grew a spine and didn’t even have the courtesy to thank me for returning James to her alive,” Bernard hissed, taking great care not to become too angry. “She’s incredibly ungrateful.”

“Maybe that brother of hers is not letting her come?” Ramon asked in a meek, but steady voice.

Bernard smirked and chuckled, “Yes, that could explain it,” he replied in an amused voice, pleased that Ramon had thought up a way to force Emily to come as she was supposed to. “It’s all Ryan’s fault.”

“Why not send Eddie or Ricky to go get Ryan since the half-blind idiot would recognize us?” Clavo hooted in an amused voice as he looked up at Bernard. “They will have an easier time getting into…”

Bernard scowled, “Eddie’s hiding out like I told him to and I’ve pretty much ran out of things for Ricky to help me with right now,” he replied grouchily. “Besides, he’s still pining for his sweetheart, Catherine Willows.”

“Just how are we supposed to get at little Ryan?” Clavo whined. “He’s always surrounded by people.”

Ramon’s eyes widened, “He’s working at Speedle’s Restaurant in Calle Ocho,” he spoke up timidly. “Why don’t one of us just go in there disguised as a customer and snatch him when we’re alone with him?”

“If Ryan tries to fight, cause damage to the café to distract others from his disappearance,” Bernard replied in a cruel voice. “Only go after Ryan; do not touch Emily, James, Julliet, or anyone else. If you do, I will be angry.”

Both Ramon and Clavo said nothing and Bernard sighed, “I merely want to talk to Ryan and convince him to make Emily come see me,” he replied in a tired voice as he slowly stood up and walked over to the bed in the other corner of the furniture filled bedroom where he spent most of his time in the quiet villa he had recently bought.

Understanding themselves to be dismissed, Ramon and Clavo left to plot while Bernard climbed into bed to rest.


	3. A Trail of Falling Dominoes

December 19

Delavida Centre – Miami, Florida

Deeply grateful that Detective Tripp had agreed to sit for BJ and Adam on his night off, Bobby silently entered the large building and saw the sign ‘Support Group for Abused Spouses’ on the door just off the large, couch-filled lobby. He silently removed his great coat and gloves, but hesitated to enter the room.

After a moment, however, Bobby silently tucked the coat over his arm and entered the room, pleased to see that he was not the only man there along with a small group of women. Several men and women were gathered around different areas in the room and there was a table at the front of the room with pamphlets, books, and fliers on top of it. To his surprise, Bobby saw Natalia lingering near the table.

Unsure of what to say to his next door neighbor, Bobby silently approached the table and began to browse through the books because he knew the need for help went beyond meetings, “Which book is the best?” he asked, giving Natalia a nervous look. “I wasn’t allowed to go to meetings in New York.”

“This one’s good for beginners,” Natalia replied as she held up a small red book. “It’s ten dollars.”

Bobby nodded, but didn’t say anything as he picked up a copy of the book Natalia had suggested, “Thanks,” he replied nervously, feeling very out of place even though he knew he needed this.

Natalia nodded as a bell rang, “Oh, they’re getting ready to start,” she explained in a gentle voice.

Deeply intrigued as to how this meeting would help him, Bobby walked over to the chairs that had been set up and silently anticipated what was going to happen. Could these meetings really help him recover?  
****  
Flavida Restaurant

In a more ritzy part of Miami, Tim’s hands trembled as he adjusted the red tie he was wearing with the nicest suit he owned; the best suit for the date he had waited many years to take Emily on. While he adjusted his tie, he also found himself looking in the mirror at Emily, who was sitting on a padded bench in a light pink, floor length dress that had cap sleeves while her thinning hair was done up in curls. Her shoes, a pair of white dress shoes, sat on the floor beside her because her feet were already sore.

“Here, do you want me to rub those for you?” Tim asked softly as he walked over to the bench and sat down next to her. “We’ve got some time before Horatio and Marisol show up, I’m sure.”

Emily smiled, “You can rub them later if you stop by your parents’ house to say goodnight to James and Julliet,” she replied gently, warmed by Tim’s gentle charm. “I’m glad Ryan agreed to watch them since your parents are out of town for the night, but I’d feel better if they had police protection there.”

“I phoned Jessop from the MDPD before I came to get you and he’ll look in on my parents’ house,” Tim replied in a reassuring voice. “He’s on nights this week anyway and he said he doesn’t mind.”

Nodding, Emily sighed, “I’m glad we could do this now since Christmas is getting closer,” she commented in a soft voice, snuggling up to Tim as gently as she could. “My chemo regimen’s almost done and I’m looking forward to a quiet holiday with whoever wants to spend the time with me.”  
“I was planning on spending Christmas with my parents anyway,” Tim replied gently, turning to face her.

Emily chuckled and smiling, she kissed his nose, “I’m sorry, are we interrupting something?” Horatio’s amused voice suddenly asked as footsteps neared the two. “I believe we arrived a little late.”

“Oh, not at all,” Emily replied pleasantly, amused that Tim immediately turned a deep shade of red.

Marisol, who was dressed in a floral print dress with white shoes and her hair done up, laughed and smiled as Tim helped Emily to her feet and back into her shoes. Horatio was wearing a dark suit and an amused expression on his face at watching his best friend and new friend help each other out.

The foursome was quiet as they walked into the restaurant and picked a booth near one of the giant windows so that they could see Miami’s nightscape while they ate, “Would it be too strange if I ordered a cup of cocoa?” Emily asked in a nervous voice. “I’m just feeling a little cold tonight and it’ll help.”

“I don’t think that’s strange,” Tim replied gently. “In fact, I might have a cup of cocoa myself.”

Emily chuckled and sighed, “I’m really grateful that we could get together like this and I hope we have a pleasant evening,” she said as a young, well-dressed server came over to the table. “Ah, hello there.”

“Hello, my name is Jenessa and I’ll be your server this evening,” the young server, who’s hair and makeup were overdone, clashing with her uniform. “You guys look really familiar. Who are you?”

Horatio’s eyes narrowed, “I would like a glass of water to start,” he replied in a neutral voice.

“All right,” Jenessa said in a cheerful voice as she wrote a note on a pad. “Anyone else?”

As Emily gazed at the server, who reminded her very much of the niece she had never been allowed to meet, she found herself turning her attention to Tim, “Two cups of cocoa with whipped cream,” Tim replied gruffly, suddenly sensing Emily’s discomfort. “Marisol, what do you want to have?”

“Oh, just a glass of cranberry juice,” Marisol replied pleasantly, suddenly worried about Emily.

Jenessa nodded, jotted the orders down, and walked off into the small area near the kitchen where there was a phone. She passed the order into the kitchen, got on the phone, and dialled a number.

“Hey, Jenny, I’ve got a customer here who looks a lot like your crazy uncle,” Jenessa said in an amused voice as a woman answered the phone. “Better tell your grandma that your aunt’s in Miami.”  
****  
Bzzz…Bzzz…Bzzz.

Sighing heavily, Ryan kept his eyes on James and Julliet as he got his phone out of his pocket and scoffed at seeing a text from a Sarah Wolfe. The text was filled with very obscene language and rude comments about both Emily and himself and finished off with a reminder to bring them nice things for Christmas.

“Whatever,” Ryan muttered, setting his phone on the table and instead watching James and Julliet play with a plastic kitchen set and plastic accessories that Emily had gotten at a thrift store to help them learn what was okay to touch and what wasn’t okay to touch. She had labelled everything for James’s benefit since Julliet was already able to read basic things, but James still had difficulties reading.

The sound of a car engine turning off prompted Ryan to sigh, “All right, guys, it’s bedtime,” he said in a tired voice as he got up off the couch. “I’ll help you clean up the food and then we’ll go read something.”

“Okay, Uncle Ry Ry,” Julliet replied while James silently started gathering the food. “What story?”

Ryan chuckled as they cleaned up the food and then he gently carried both James and Julliet into the small bedroom they shared, but had separate beds. After helping Julliet into her bed, Ryan put James into his bed that was across the small room. As he tucked him in, there was a knock at the door.

“Just stay here and I’ll read something fun when I come back,” Ryan promised as he left the room and not only closed, but locked the door to James and Julliet’s bedroom so that they would be safe.

As Ryan made his way to the door, it suddenly burst open and Clavo and Ramon came in, “Hey there, Wolfie!” Clavo taunted in a cruel voice as he flashed a small hood before Ryan. “Come for a ride!”

Anxious not to leave James and Julliet alone, Ryan started throwing random objects at both Clavo and Ramon, giving them both minor wounds. Unfortunately for him, both Clavo and Ramon were much bigger and while Clavo held Ryan tight, Ramon jammed the hood over his head and tied it.

Muffled screams echoed both in and out of the house as Clavo and Ramon dragged Ryan from the house and threw him forcibly into the back of their vehicle. Not wanting to attract attention, Clavo and Ramon shut the doors, got in, and tore off down the street unaware that Julliet was banging on the door loudly.  
***  
Manhattan, New York

Coldness washed over Danielle as she opened her eyes and suddenly remembered that she was safe in bed with Maurice, not being forced to lie in bed with Edward as she had been during her time as a prisoner in the cabin that had been in the middle of nowhere. She suddenly felt very nauseous.

Swallowing hard, Danielle slowly sat up and hugged herself, “Danielle, what’s wrong?” she suddenly heard the groggy voice of her dear new husband ask. “Is something wrong with one of the kids?”

“No, everything’s fine,” Danielle replied in a nervous voice. “Go back to sleep, Maurice.”

Once Danielle was sure that he was back asleep, she got out of bed and silently wandered into the living room, making brief stops to check on John, David, and Ellie before she sat down on the couch with only her pajamas and socks to keep her warm. A few strands of silver garland and a lightly decorated tree adorned the apartment, but there were no presents under the tree yet because she hadn’t been paid.

Danielle sighed; she had been trying her best to balance working her poorly constructed work schedule and be there for her family, but with Christmas coming, all of her work wasn’t amounting to very much because Walsh had deducted for her continual calls on the job to her kids, which was illegal and rude.

“Danielle?” 

Danielle looked up from the couch and was surprised to see Bosco standing there holding her slippers in one hand and his robe in the other, “You okay?” Bosco asked in a concerned voice. “What’s wrong?”

“I was just having a bad dream,” Danielle replied softly. “About my time with Edward in the cabin.”

Bosco nodded, but he didn’t say anything as he joined her on the couch, “I know we haven’t been overly intimate since our wedding night and I’m sorry for that,” Danielle continued in a tired voice. “During my time in that cabin, I was treated very poorly and I’ve been trying to find the time to see a counselor.”

Nodding, Bosco gently draped his robe around her shoulders, “How about you go to a women’s counseling center tomorrow after that big meeting?” he suggested gently. “I mean, Walsh isn’t going to take the whole meeting tomorrow to ream you out. I get off at three and I can get the kids from school.”

“I can’t believe Carlos’s report amounted to a meeting with all the fire departments in the city,” Danielle commented in a distressed voice, gently taking her husband’s hands. “I didn’t want everyone to know about the problems between Walsh and I and now there’s a meeting to deal with the situation.”

Letting out a tired sigh, Danielle leaned back and snuggled in Bosco’s robe, “John’s school called today while you were working and they said that John might do better in a homeschool program because he’s what they call antisocial,” she stated in a distressed voice. “In reality, they’re just calling John antisocial because they think he’ll fail out of school because he has to go to Miami for a while in January.”

“How are David and Ellie going to do when it comes time to go to Miami?” Bosco asked worriedly.

Danielle smiled, “Mrs. Davis assured me that she would correspond with David and Ellie and help them get all their schoolwork taken care of while we were in Miami,” she replied gently, frowning as she suddenly heard a door open and footsteps creep across the floor. “Hold it right there, please?”

Fully expecting to see John trying to escape yet again for a late night walk, Danielle got up and was surprised to see David standing there in his pajamas, “What are you doing up?” Danielle asked in a concerned voice as David wandered over to the couch. “Honey, you look upset about something.”

“Edward wrote me a letter on the computer,” David replied softly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a folded up piece of paper. “I don’t know how he sent me a letter, but I don’t wanna read it.”

Frowning, Danielle took the letter and set it on the table, “Well, then don’t,” she replied, deeply disturbed that Edward had somehow managed to find David through email. “Are you okay?”

“Why would he be contacting me?” David asked in a confused voice. “I don’t want to have anything to do with him after what he did to John and Ellie. He left a cell-phone in that apartment we stayed in in Miami when John was kidnapped and I thought it had games on it, so I played with it and…”

Danielle’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything, “I guess it sent some sort of signal to Edward and he tried to attack Grandpa Sully and I,” David explained in a worried voice. “It was really horrible.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” Bosco asked in a concerned voice. “Why tell us this now?”

David sighed, “I was afraid you’d hit me,” he replied softly. “Edward did when I used to cry a lot and even though I was only a baby, I still remember it. I never told anyone, not even Grandpa Sully.”

“Oh, David, I would never hit you,” Bosco replied calmly. “I got hit by my old man and I couldn’t…”

Swallowing hard, Bosco got up and walked off into the kitchen space, “I was abused as a kid by my dad and I became a cop so that I could protect people, not hurt them,” he replied softly. “Now, it wasn’t good that you didn’t tell us about this earlier, but now we know and we can help you through it.”  
“I want to call you ‘Dad’, Maurice,” David replied in a nervous voice. “I want it to be okay, though.”

Bosco’s gaze softened and Danielle smiled, “It’s okay if you want to call him ‘Dad’, David,” Danielle replied in a calm voice. “Do you want your dad and I to come and tuck you back into bed?”

David nodded and Bosco and Danielle gently shepherded David back into the room that he and John shared. John was asleep in his bed with his back against the wall, but David’s bed was empty.

“Right, hop back into bed,” Bosco said in a calm voice. “Do you want a story or a little song?”

David sighed and got back into bed, “No thanks, but can you or Mom stay with me til I fall asleep?” he asked in a nervous voice. “And can you make sure I never have to see Edward’s letter again?”

Unsure of what to do, Danielle and Bosco looked at each other, “Is Ellie okay?” David asked softly.

“She’s got like 50 stuffed animals protecting her, kiddo,” Bosco replied in an amused voice, making a note to talk to Ty, Brendan, and Sully about how much they spoiled the kids. “You ready to sleep?”

David nodded, “Thanks, Mom and Dad,” he said in a sleepy voice as he closed his eyes. “Love you.”

Both Bosco and Danielle kissed David and the sleeping John before they left the room and went into Ellie’s room, where Ellie was sound asleep in bed surrounded by her stuffed animals. Letting out a tired sigh, Danielle led Bosco back to their room and they climbed into bed, quickly snuggling together.

Slowly, but surely, Danielle drifted off to sleep with Bosco next to her, holding her protectively.  
****  
Miami, Florida

“Jenessa, you done work already?” Jenny Wolfe, who was a waitress at Club Cruz, asked as Jenessa came into the apartment that they shared. “Clavo phoned from his car and asked us to hang out.”

Jenessa frowned, “Jenny, I just told you that I saw your aunt at a restaurant and you just want to go hang out with Clavo and Ramon?” she asked in a concerned voice. “It’s nearly eleven p.m.

“That woman, Emily, is not my aunt,” Jenny replied, scoffing. “My mom said that Emily is trash.”

Before Jenessa, who had thought of the woman and her friends as being very pleasant to talk to and serve at the restaurant, could reply, there was a loud honk outside followed by some loud music.

“Ooh, that must be Clavo!” Jenny squealed. “Hey, I told my dad I’d be here studying. Cover for me?”

Shaking her head, Jenessa followed Jenny outside to the curb in front of their apartment where a blood red SUV was parked, “Hello there, chicas,” Clavo hooted as he opened the driver’s window. “Coming?”

Before Jenny or Jenessa could reply, there was a muffled yell, a crash, and a hooded figure suddenly burst out of the back passenger door and took off running, “YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING HIM!” Clavo screamed at Ramon, who had been slammed into the window by Ryan before his escape.

“Who?” Jenny asked in a confused voice. “Don’t tell me you’ve got idiots running things for you.”

Clavo sighed, “Just a punk who tried to defy us,” he replied in a stressed voice. “Wanna hang out?”

“I’ve got to work tomorrow,” Jenessa lied, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. “Jenny does too.”

Clavo pouted, grunted, and drove off around the corner, “I’m going to go try and find that man to make sure he’s okay,” Jenessa said in a distressed voice. “You should really stay away from Clavo, Jenny.”

Jenny scoffed and returned to the safety of the apartment, but Jenessa went off in the direction that the hooded man had run. She was tired, but very concerned about whether or not the man was okay.  
***  
“Jessop, what happened?”

Officer Jessop sighed as Horatio approached the now sealed off house and shifted position so that James would stay in his arms while Julliet held to his leg, “Speedle asked me to check on things and when I arrived, the door was open and the inside was a mess,” he explained in a distressed voice, quickly spotting Tim and Marisol trying to calm a very shaken Emily. “Speedle told me that Wolfe was supposed to be watching his sister’s kids, but I didn’t see any sign of him when I went in and let the kids out.”

“MAMA!” James screamed, suddenly realizing that he wasn’t being held by anyone he knew.

Jessop flinched as Emily sighed and hurried up the walk to embrace him, “It’s all right,” Emily replied in a shaky voice as she drew James and Julliet close to her. “Maybe Ryan locked the door to protect them.”

“Miss Wolfe, the house needs to be processed,” Horatio replied calmly. “I put a call in to the night shift and they should be here soon, but you and your children need to find a place to stay for the night.”

Emily nodded and sighed, “Bernard had something to do with this, I’m sure,” she replied in a distressed voice. “He sent me a letter a while back requesting that I visit him, but I don’t want to see him.”

Swallowing hard, Emily sank on to the steps, “I just want to get some rest,” she said in a tired voice.

“You could come sleep at my place with the kids and I’ll call my folks about what happened,” Tim offered, overhearing Emily’s comment as he neared the steps. “I’ll sleep on the couch and you and the kids can have my bed tonight. Where are Delko and Callieigh, Horatio? They should be on this.”

Horatio sighed, “I do not know, Speed,” he replied calmly. “Anyway, might I suggest a hotel instead of your apartment since it will be more comfortable and less likely to be known by anyone suspicious?”

“Mama?” James asked in a worried voice, suddenly noticing that Emily was trembling and sighing.

Tim frowned and sat down next to Emily, “I’m fine, just really worn out from raising two kids and undergoing chemo,” Emily replied in a trembling voice. “Ryan’s been working so hard to try and get a place for us so we’re not having to impose on Tim’s parents after Christmas, but it’s not going well…”

Another Hummer pulled up and three night shift CSI’s, including a heavy set man with dark skin, came out and walked up to the house with kits in their hands, “Ah, the night shift is here,” Horatio said in a concerned voice, giving each of the CSIs a look, “Dylan, Marks, and I don’t believe I know you…”

“Walter Simmons, sir,” the heavyset man replied calmly. “I’m currently a student at Miami-Dade U.”

Horatio nodded and Emily groaned, “Please, someone, take the kids,” she said in an anxious voice as she suddenly rushed off the porch and threw up on the grass. “I’m sorry; the chemotherapy’s rough.”

“Maybe you ought to think about going to the ER,” Tim commented softly. “It would help you.”

Emily sighed, “I don’t want to go anywhere in case Ryan’s found,” she replied anxiously.

“Why don’t I take you, James, and Julliet over to my house, Emily?” Marisol suggested in a gentle voice, sensing Emily’s reluctance to go to the hospital as she approached them. “It’s quiet there.”

Grateful for having such a good friend, Emily nodded, “Thank you,” she replied softly. “Kids…”

“I’ll help you get them in the car,” Tim offered, gently picking up James and Julliet. “Come on, kiddos.”

Horatio smiled at Marisol and Emily, “I’ll call Marisol’s house when we hear anything,” he replied in a reassuring voice, determined to remain on scene until Ryan was found. “Have a good night.”

Marisol nodded and smiled at Horatio as she and Tim led Emily and her kids towards the vehicles.  
***  
Delavida Centre

The sun was almost set when Bobby finally stepped out of the meeting room and he frowned at seeing Hagen lingering near a bus stop down the street, as if he had been following him. Before Bobby could figure out what to do, he heard footsteps and the chatter of others who had also been at the meeting.

“Hey, Detective Caine, you forgot your book,” Bobby suddenly heard a gentle voice say. “Here.”

Bobby turned and saw Natalia standing beside him holding the book he had purchased just after the meeting had ended. She not only held her own book in her hand, but the one he had just bought.

“You forgot this,” Natalia replied calmly, offering him the book. “How are you getting home?”

Bobby sighed as Hagen silently moved off into the bushes, “I’ll wait for the bus and read this while I wait, I guess,” he replied calmly, checking his watch only to find that it was nearly 10. “It’s late.”

“I could drive you home since I do live right next door to you,” Natalia offered in a gentle voice.

Before Bobby could reply, he spotted a battered figure stumbling down the street out of the corner of his eye, “Is that Ryan Wolfe?” he asked, suddenly recognizing Ryan. “He looks a little disoriented.”

“What?” Natalia asked in a concerned voice, frowning when she spotted Ryan. “Ryan Wolfe?!”

Hearing his name, Ryan frowned and squinted, “Ryan, it’s Detective Caine from the MDPD,” Bobby said in a calm voice, keeping eye contact with Ryan as Ryan slowly approached him and Natalia.

Ryan squinted and nodded, but said nothing, “Ryan, is all that blood yours?” Natalia asked in a shocked voice, suddenly seeing blood covering Ryan’s shirt, shoes, and pants. “What happened to you?”

Swallowing hard, Ryan closed his eyes and it was then that Bobby noticed the bloody footprints that were behind Ryan and leading down the street, “Miss Boa Vista, do you happen to have a cell-phone and your CSI kit?” Bobby asked in a concerned voice. “Call 9-1-1 and also ask for CSI responders.”

“Yes, I’ll do that right away,” Natalia replied, hurrying across the lot to where her car was parked.

Bobby nodded and looked at Ryan, “Ryan, come with me while I follow the bloody footprints,” he replied in a calm voice, determined to see if Ryan was able to follow commands with his injuries.

Swallowing hard, Ryan nodded and slowly walked alongside Bobby as he followed the bloody footprints down the street. To their horror, there was the body of a young, dark haired girl in the bushes with a gunshot wound in the stomach of her dress. A jacket was pressed over the wound as if someone had found the girl and tried to stop her from bleeding out. Bobby then noticed blood on Ryan’s hands.

“She was just lying there and I took off my jacket to try and help her,” Ryan stuttered anxiously, placing his hands on his ribs to try and alleviate the pain. “I-I just tried to help her, but I couldn’t do anything.”

Bobby nodded and Ryan sank to his knees, prompting Bobby to pull out his cell-phone and dial the MDPD, “This is Detective Caine of Homicide,” he said in a commanding voice. “I need backup.”  
****  
“Jenessa Williams,” Horatio stated softly as he held the bloodstained wallet in his gloved hands, grateful that the light of the moon and his flashlight helped him to see the ID. “Eric, any weapon on scene?”

Shaking his head, Eric walked over to Horatio, “Callieigh hasn’t been able to find one and the only evidence we have is the bullet, Wolfe’s shirt, and the bloody footprints,” he replied in an apologetic voice. “I tried to talk to Wolfe, but he’s not really saying anything about how he got beat up.”  
“Eric, help Alex with Jenessa’s body,” Horatio replied calmly. “Frank, help me talk to Mister Wolfe.”

Nodding, Frank found himself silently being grateful that Yelina had come to Bobby’s house with Ray Jr. so that he could respond to the scene and help his partner. They walked over to a gurney where Ryan was laying while Bobby stood guard, silently waiting for paramedics to load him into a nearby ambulance and trying to keep an oxygen mask on his battered face as he fought to stay awake.

“Mister Wolfe, what happened?” Horatio asked calmly. “How did you get beaten so badly?”

Ryan sighed, “I was almost kidnapped,” he replied, moving the mask off his face. “But I escaped.”

“By whom?” Horatio replied calmly. “I believe that Detective Caine also asked you questions?”

Ryan blinked and groaned, “Clavo and Ramon Cruz,” he replied weakly. “They broke in, beat me up, and hooded me,” he replied weakly, wincing as he inhaled. “They were going to take me to Bernard.”

“Lieutenant Caine, we’re ready to take him to Miami-Dade now,” one of the paramedics said.

Horatio nodded, “Eric’s going to go with you and collect your clothes as evidence, Mister Wolfe,” he explained in a calm, but commanding voice. 

“Miss Boa Vista will also go to collect DNA evidence. I’ll call Marisol and your sister, both of whom are at Marisol’s house with James and Julliet. Take it easy.”

Before Ryan could reply, Horatio walked over to where Alexx and Eric were moving the body on a gurney towards a nearby coroner’s van, “We’ll go by to question Ryan after he’s been patched up,” Tripp, who was watching the proceedings. “Yelina’s over at Bobby’s house with BJ, Adam, and Ray Jr.”

“Good,” Horatio replied calmly. “I believe I’m going to pay a visit to Clavo and Ramon Cruz. I believe, from what I last heard, that they have a club near the far end of Coral Gables, so I’ll go there.”

Tripp frowned, “They’ve got diplomatic immunity,” he replied worriedly. “What can you do?”

“I’m merely going to talk to them, Frank,” Horatio replied calmly, gripping the wallet in his hand.  
****  
The sounds of coughing filled the room that John and David shared and David woke up just in time to see John bolt up in bed and throw up on the floor, “I’m sick,” John said in an anxious voice.

David’s eyes went wide, “MOM, DAD!” he hollered, not hesitating to get out of bed. “MOM, DAD!”

There was silence, followed by footsteps running across the floor, “David, it’s four in the morning,” Bosco said in a concerned voice, frowning as he opened the door and saw John in the bed crying while vomit was on the floor. “What happened in here? David, go get your ma and tell her John’s sick.”

Nodding, David ran out of the bedroom and Bosco quickly moved over to John’s dresser and pulled out a sweater and socks before going to John’s bed, “Just the stress of everything,” John muttered softly.

Before Bosco could reply, Danielle came into the room, “I just started not feeling good and thinking about school tomorrow and how I hate it because of what happened,” John started babbling anxiously, sighing as his mother felt his forehead and his skin. “Do you want me to pay for the carpet?”

“No, the carpet’s not important,” Bosco replied gently. “Do you want me to get John’s kit?”

John sighed, “I was like up an hour ago checking it and it was low,” he replied softly. “Always is.”

“Your blood sugar’s always low at night?” Danielle asked in a concerned voice. “Maurice…”

Bosco sighed, “I think you need to go to the ER,” he replied in a concerned voice. “I’ll take you.”

“I’m getting my father to watch David and Ellie,” Danielle replied firmly. “I’m coming too.”

John groaned and laid down, closing his eyes as he did, “I’m dizzy,” he said in a faint voice.

“David, go back to sleep,” Danielle ordered firmly. “Maurice, go call for an ambulance.”

Bosco nodded and hurried from the room, but David didn’t go back to sleep. He silently watched as his mother gently took John’s hands in her own and gently rubbed them to try and keep him calm.  
***************  
Exhausted from going out that evening and from worrying about Ryan, Emily sighed as she gazed at the speakerphone that was on a table not far from where Marisol was standing, silently sipping a cup of tea that she had gotten to pass time as they waited for someone to call with news about Ryan.

James and Julliet were on a pull-out bed, surrounded by pillows and covered with a blanket as they slept soundly, the trauma of the evening temporarily forgotten because Emily had sung them to sleep before settling herself on the couch to rest. Marisol had quickly gotten her a warm blanket and soft pillow.

“I can’t believe James and Julliet weren’t scared off by my singing,” Emily commented softly, her eyes focused on her sleeping children. “My voice is weak and I’m so tired that I probably sounded terrible.”

Marisol sighed, “You sounded fine, Emily,” she replied softly. “They were comforted by your voice.”

Emily nodded and made herself comfortable, “I just hope the Speedles aren’t angry at the mess.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Marisol replied in a compassionate voice. “They won’t be angry with you.”

Nodding, Emily laid down and within seconds, her eyes were closed and she was sound asleep.  
***  
Coral Gables Mansion

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN RYAN ESCAPED YOUR CAR?!” Bernard roared, struggling to control his temper as he sat in his recliner, glaring daggers up at Clavo and Ramon. “HOW COULD YOU TWO BE SO DUMB?!”

Ramon’s eyes widened in shock, “We were on our way to your house with him when Clavo wanted to visit some girl that worked at his club,” he explained in an anxious voice. “Ryan escaped then…”

“You idiot!” Clavo snapped, glaring at Ramon. “You wanted to see Jenessa and Jenny as much as I did!”

Bernard raised an eyebrow, “Jenny Wolfe?” he asked in a shocked voice. “She’s barely legal!”

“Ah, Bernie, we have a problem,” Ramon spoke up anxiously. “I accidentally shot Jenessa…”

Bernard’s eyes widened as Ramon showed his bloody hands, “Where’s the gun?” he snapped.

“Um, I sorta left it in a bush,” Ramon stuttered anxiously. “I was so nervous about being caught.”

Bernard closed his eyes and groaned, “I can’t protect you and Eddie’s in hiding,” he replied softly, sighing heavily as a woman with dark hair and dark skin came into the room. “Ah, Doctor Price.”

“Mister Marquez, I’ve come from Home Care with some things for your home and your medications,” Dr. Tara Price, a woman who was trying to make her way in the medical world, said in a pleasant voice.

Bernard nodded and opened his eyes, “My friends will be more than happy to help you set up whatever things you have brought for me,” he replied in a calm voice. “Clavo, Ramon, go help Doctor Price out.”

Even though Dr. Price was slightly nervous about being alone with Clavo and Ramon, she nodded and led them out of the room. Bernard sighed heavily and then reached for the phone on the nearby stand.  
***  
“…We’re about five minutes out…”

Warmth and shaking were the first things that John felt as he slowly came back into awareness and opened his eyes to see himself staring up at Carlos’s face, “Hey John, welcome back,” Carlos said in a gentle voice, giving John a reassuring smile. “Danielle, Bosco, John just woke up.”

There was silence and John suddenly felt the gurney being raised and he saw not only Carlos, but his mother, and stepfather sitting in the back of an ambulance, “You scared the crap out of your mother and I, kiddo,” Bosco commented in a concerned voice. “You passed out on the bed in your room.”

“Wow,” John commented groggily, frowning as he felt Carlos move something off his face and immediately replace it with tubes in his nose as well as add an IV to his hand. “Where are we?”

There was a sigh, “Angel of Mercy Hospital,” Grace’s voice came from the front of the ambulance.

John was quiet as Carlos and Grace unloaded him and rolled him into the Emergency Room while his parents followed close behind. Mary Proctor immediately came over to the gurney and crowd.

“Ah, young Mister Sullivan,” Mary replied in a calm voice. “I guess you’re not feeling too good?”

John sighed, “No ma’am,” he replied groggily. “I guess I passed out in my bedroom at home.”

Mary nodded and helped the group move the gurney into a Trauma Room, “Can you slide over to the other gurney?” she asked in a concerned voice, sighing as John slowly did as he was asked to do.

“Carlos, can you tell Tommy that I’m sorry and that he was right?” John asked in a groggy voice.

Carlos looked confused, but nodded, “Okay,” he replied calmly. “I’m getting off pretty soon.”

Nodding, John closed his eyes and sighed heavily, “I’ll get a set of vitals,” Mary said in a concerned voice as she saw Dr. Fields coming their way. “Can you tell me when you started feeling sick, John?”

“A couple days ago, I started feeling shaky at school,” John replied weakly. “I tried to tell the school about it and asked to go home, but they wouldn’t let me go and had me sit outside for lunch because they said cold air would help and that it was just nerves. Tommy sat with me so I wouldn’t be alone.”

Bosco’s eyes widened in anger, “They what?” he asked in a shocked voice. “Danielle, can we talk?”

Danielle nodded and moved out into the hallway, leaving John in Dr. Fields’ and Mary’s care while Carlos and Grace left, “I know it’ll be expensive, but I think we ought to get John into some sort of distance learning thing,” Bosco said in a concerned voice. “I don’t want him going to that school ever again.”

“I’ve got that meeting this morning, unfortunately,” Danielle replied softly. “Could you possibly...?”

Bosco nodded, “I’ll go,” he replied calmly, sighing as he saw Dr. Fields coming out. “Danni…”

“Officer and Mrs. Boscorelli, I’m going to be ordering blood tests and an x-ray, but I’m pretty sure that John caught the flu and a bit of bacterial pneumonia from exposure,” Dr. Fields explained in a concerned voice. “He mentioned something about his school making him spend time outside in the cold weather?”

Danielle sighed and Bosco nodded, “I’ll be taking care of it this morning,” he replied in a sharp voice.

“Does he need a gown or can he have pajamas?” Danielle asked, suddenly concerned as to how John would feel at his scars being exposed by having to wear a gown. “He’d probably rather have scrubs…”

Dr. Fields nodded, “I’ll have a nurse bring him some,” he replied calmly. “You can go back in now.”

Nodding, Bosco and Danielle went back into the trauma room and silently watched as Mary prepared a syringe while John paled considerably at the sight of it, “John, don’t look at the needle,” Bosco said in a gentle, but firm voice, seeing that John was ready to faint. “Focus on something more comforting.”

Swallowing hard, John silently looked at his parents as Mary drew blood and put a cotton ball and band-aid over the site, “Can I get some clean pajamas or something?” John asked in a tired voice.

Before anyone could reply, another nurse came into the room holding a pair of green scrubs, “Doctor Fields said to give you these, Mister Sullivan,” the nurse said in a calm voice, giving the scrubs to Danielle as she nervously lingered as close to the bed as she sensed John would allow. “Do you need help?”

“Ma’am, it’s Sullivan-Boscorelli,” John replied weakly. “I think my parents can help me, but thanks.”

The nurse nodded and left, pulling the curtain around the bed as she left, “I’ll take this blood to the lab while your parents help you change,” Mary said in a calm voice. “Take your time and don’t get up.”

“Mom, you’ve got to get ready for your meeting,” John said in a weak voice. “I can do this alone.”

Danielle sighed, “We’re staying,” she replied firmly as she and Bosco began to help John undress.  
**********  
Miami-Dade Police Department/Crime Lab Campus – Miami, Florida

Both grateful and sad that the investigation was now in the hands of the Crime Scene department, Bobby found himself outside of Rick’s office and was surprised to see Rick asleep on the couch while his phone vibrated repeatedly on the desk. Frowning, Bobby entered the office and checked the phone.

B. Marquez and an envelope symbol were on the phone, but Bobby didn’t touch the phone, nor did he check the message, “Rick, are you all right?” he asked in a gentle, but clear enough voice to wake Rick.

“Oh, Bobby, I was just taking a break,” Rick replied in a groggy voice as he opened his eyes and sighed at seeing his brother-in-law there. “I was doing paperwork and I started hurting, so I took one of the ibuprofen I was prescribed for my injuries and I guess I ended up falling asleep on the couch.”

Bobby nodded, but didn’t say anything, “Is there something I need to know?” Rick asked softly.

“Ryan Wolfe was the victim of an attempted kidnapping by Clavo and Ramon Cruz just a few hours ago,” Bobby replied in a somber voice. “A girl named Jenessa Williams was found murdered not long after…”

Rick’s eyes widened, realizing that Bernard had probably sent Clavo and Ramon to kidnap Ryan for some reason that he didn’t know about, “Clavo and Ramon tried to intimidate me before I was shot in New York, but I don’t want anything to do with them now,” he explained softly, cringing as he stood up and noticed that Hagen was lingering not far outside the office. “What is Hagen doing at the precinct?”

“Why wouldn’t Detective Hagen be here?” Bobby asked in a confused voice. “He works here.”

Rick frowned just as Hagen moved out of sight, “Bobby, Hagen was put on medical leave by the chief,” he replied in a concerned voice. “I don’t know the details, but he shouldn’t be around the precinct.”

“Hmm,” Bobby replied in a concerned voice. “Anyway, do you want me to drive you home since you’re obviously tired and didn’t go home last night? If you had gone home, you wouldn’t be here now.”

Rick sighed, reached into his pocket, and tossed Bobby his keys, “I’ll take a cab from your place,” Bobby said in a gentle voice as Rick stood up. “Maybe I can get home in time to see BJ off to school.”

As Bobby and Rick left Rick’s office, they failed to notice that Hagen was silently watching them go.  
****  
Victims Assistance Office 

“Ray?” Natalia called out softly, frowning as she entered the main office and found Ray’s desk a mess of scattered papers and open desk drawers when his desk had usually been spotless and well-kept. “Ray?”

Ray came out of his closet holding a small cigarette in one hand and an advanced looking cell-phone in his hands while his jeans, blazer, and boots smelled of drugs, “Natalia, I need to talk to you,” he said in a concerned, unusually anxious voice. “I heard that Ryan Wolfe fell in with Clavo and Ramon Cruz.”

“Clavo and Ramon Cruz tried to kidnap him,” Natalia replied in a sharp voice. “Ray, are you all right?”

Ray scoffed and took another puff, “I want Ryan’s badge back,” he replied in an anxious voice. “He’s too unstable to work within the networks of Victims Assistance. If he’s associated with criminals…”

“He was almost kidnapped by them,” Natalia replied in a concerned voice. “I’m not revoking his badge.”

Again, Ray scoffed, “Whatever,” he replied, moving towards the doors. “I have work to do elsewhere.”

Once Ray was gone, Natalia silently walked over to her neatly kept desk and scanned a small list that she kept next to the phone before finding a number. Swallowing hard, she silently picked up the phone.  
****  
Bellevue Mental Hospital – New York

Catherine scoffed as Gil’s beeper went off and Danny scowled, “Really?” Danny snapped, glaring at Gil from the table where he and Gil had been sitting, talking with Catherine. “What’s the beeper for?”

Ignoring Danny’s question, Gil slipped out into the hallway and saw Mac hanging up his own cell-phone, “I just got a call from John Sullivan’s grandfather and John’s been taken to Angel of Mercy hospital with the flu and pneumonia,” Mac explained in a stern voice. “I thought the kid had NYPD bodyguards?”

“They were assigned to patrol at some FDNY meeting today since nobody thought there would be any more issues with the kid,” Mac replied calmly. “John’s grandfather is going over to Angel of Mercy after he makes sure that David and Ellie get to school. His mother has to work and his stepfather does too.”

Gil looked amused, “So Boscorelli married John’s mother?” he replied in an intrigued voice. “Cool.”

Mac scowled and Gil sighed, “The agreement was that either the NYPD or Victims Assistance had to be within range of the family at all times due to the investigation that will take place in Miami in January,” Mac stated in a sharp voice. “I believe Davis and Finney were assigned to patrol them, but if they…”

“Davis and/or Finney will probably report to the hospital once the meeting’s over, but John’s grandfather will be good enough until someone can come,” Gil replied calmly, refusing to be intimidated by Mac’s words and demeanor. “Or did you forget that he was the one who convinced Catherine to not shoot John or anyone else that day at John’s high school. John’s grandfather is a retired beat cop.”

Mac was quiet for a moment and then nodded, “Now, Catherine’s been mentioning a lot about Rick Stetler and how she shot him because she wanted to protect him and wanted him to stop being involved,” Gil said in a concerned voice. “We know that Clavo and Ramon kidnapped Catherine’s daughter and supposedly sent her to Brazil, but do you think Rick’s trying to find the girl himself?”

“I’ll contact him and see if he wouldn’t be up for a chat in a few days,” Mac replied in a calm voice.

Gil nodded, “We’d best get back to Catherine,” he replied nervously. “She’s been alone too long.”

“Do me a favor, Grissom, and don’t try and get involved in Rick Stetler’s interrogation because he’s clearly trying to find Lindsay Willows,” Mac snapped. “He’ll probably have to come to New York.”

As Mac went back into the room, Gil got on his phone to arrange for a quick trip to Miami so that he could handle talking to Rick Stetler before Mac and the NYPD decided to force him back to New York.

Just as Grissom hung up after booking a ticket to Miami for that afternoon, his cell-phone rang again, “Grissom,” he said in a calm voice, answering it. “Natalia…you sound upset. Tell me what happened.”  
***  
FDNY Headquarters 

The clock hit nine a.m. as Danielle entered the room where the meeting was going to take place and was surprised to only see Walsh, D.K., Grace, Carlos, Ty, Brendan, and a few others from both the Camelot and Bed-Stuy firehouses as well as the chiefs over both districts, “Ah, Mrs. Boscorelli, come in,” one of the chiefs said in a calm voice. “I believe you weren’t informed of the change of plans, but my associates and I decided that this matter could be handled privately. Now, several complaints have been filed against Billy Walsh and, seeing as the departments have been short-handed, no action has been taken.”

“I’m aware of that,” Danielle replied softly. “I’m actually considering resigning from the squad.”

There were several gasps, “The FDNY commission has talked and we’re willing to shorten your hours to accommodate your other commitments,” the chief said calmly. “Your pay was also docked as a result of Captain Walsh’s dislike of cell-phone use during times when there aren’t any calls; is that correct?”

“Yes, sir,” Danielle replied calmly, ignoring the scowls that Walsh was sending her way. 

The chief nodded, “As of today, Captain Walsh is going on paid medical leave and is hereby ordered to seek counseling until further notice,” he replied calmly. “Grace Foster is hereby being promoted to Lieutenant and is going to be in charge of the 5-5 station. Danielle, you’ll now ride with Carlos Nieto.”

“Oh, you’re kidding!” Walsh exclaimed in a shocked voice. “Grace Foster’s not fit to be a Lieutenant!”

Grace flinched and Brendan quickly stepped forward, ready and willing to defend his girlfriend against what appeared to be a chauvinist pig. Ty, however, quickly grabbed Brendan’s arm and held him.

“That’s how it will be for now and we’ll re-evaulate sometime in the new year,” the chief replied in a firm voice as he glared at Walsh. “This meeting is over and you’re all dismissed to go about your days.”

Scowling, Walsh stormed out of the room and a few moments later, the door could be heard slamming.  
****  
Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida

“Thank you for getting me home,” Rick commented as he and Bobby entered Rick’s bungalow that looked as if it needed cleaning. “I apologize for the mess, but I can’t keep up with the cleaning.”

Bobby nodded and closed the door before helping Rick over to a couch that looked as if it had been made up as a temporary bed, “I’ll call the chief later and let him know that I went home, but we agreed that I would be on limited duty until after the holidays,” Rick explained as he sat and laid down.

“Do you want me to get you anything while I’m here?” Bobby asked in a gentle voice. “Pain meds?”

Rick sighed, “I just need some rest, I think,” he replied tiredly. “Thank you, though.”

Bobby nodded and silently wandered into the kitchen to make sure that Rick had enough to eat and that he was able to keep up with everything. To Bobby’s surprise, the fridge wasn’t that full, there were half-filled takeout containers scattered across the counters, and the sink was filled with dirty dishes.

Before he could get to work cleaning up the kitchen, however, there was a knock at the door and Bobby heard Rick get up to answer the door, “Is Detective Caine here?” he suddenly heard Hagen ask.

“He’s not here,” Bobby heard Rick say in an anxious voice. “Why are you even at my house, Hagen?”

There was silence and Bobby’s eyes widened as he heard the cocking of a gun, “What are you doing?!” Rick yelled as Bobby ran to the kitchen doorway. “STOP! I WANT YOU OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW!”

“Don’t lie to me,” Hagen hissed as he pulled the trigger and shot Rick directly in the shoulder.

As Rick gripped his shoulder, Bobby unholstered his off-duty gun and came out into the living room with it pointed at Hagen, “Don’t be stupid,” Hagen growled, pointing his gun at Bobby. “You want him dead?”

“Detective Hagen, what do you want?” Bobby asked, lowering his gun. “Why are you here?”

Hagen sighed heavily, “I want to know why your uncle got me put on medical leave and told Tripp to take over your training,” he replied, promptly kicking Rick in the leg. “I was doing just fine training you.”

“You’ve been losing it since Ray Caine was killed,” Stetler hissed, struggling to ignore his shoulder pain.

Snarling, Hagen cocked the gun again and swiftly shot Rick in the leg and thigh, causing Rick to howl in pain, “The next bullet will go through his heart if you don’t cooperate with me, kid,” he hissed.

“What do you want?” Bobby replied, holstering his weapon. “I don’t want you killing Rick.”

Waving his gun at Bobby, Hagen gestured to the door with his other hand, “We’re going for a drive,” he replied in an unusually dangerous tone. “You’re going to drive and I’ll talk until I tell you to stop.”

“At least let me try and stop the bleeding,” Bobby replied, quickly removing his jacket.

Hagen nodded and quickly threw his own jacket at Bobby, “Use that too,” he replied gruffly.

Swallowing hard, Bobby quickly used his jacket to put Rick’s shoulder in a sling and made sure that it was tied in a way that Rick’s hand was pressing on the wound before securing Hagen’s jacket against the wounds on Rick’s leg. Rick groaned, but didn’t say anything because it would put Bobby in danger.

Offering a silent prayer for his safety and that someone would find Rick before he bled to death, Bobby rose and silently walked over to Hagen. Cocking the gun, Hagen pointed outside and Bobby silently followed Hagen outside to where a Hummer, obviously stolen from the lab, was parked and running.

Hagen climbed into the front passenger seat and Bobby silently got in behind the wheel, not even bothering to touch his seatbelt in case it angered Hagen. 

As the Hummer took off, Rick used his good arm to pull himself across the floor to the end table where the phone was. Ignoring the pain in his body, he grabbed the cordless off the table, slowly dialled 9-1-1 with his free hand, and anxiously waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I CRAVE reviews!


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